Gumleaf
December 15th, 2014, 07:40 AM
The terrorist siege in Martin Place, central Sydney continues after nearly 14 hours at the time of posting.
First is a timeline of events of the day from when the siege began until late evening in Sydney.
http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/12/15/17/37/sydney-siege-timeline-of-events
Below is the latest information. Within the link are videos and pictures
http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/12/15/10/00/major-police-operation-in-sydneys-martin-place
Martin Place Siege
8:43pm December 15, 2014
Nicholas McCallum
Huddled in the dark, up to 15 hostages are tonight hoping for a breakthrough in negotiations to free them from a gunman.
Well-wishers are standing in vigil outside the exclusion zone in Sydney's Martin Place, as an eerie quiet settles over the city.
Half a dozen families of those being held have gathered at a nearby St James building, with police keeping them updated as to the negotiations.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione issued a message directly to the captives: "I understand no-one has been injured and for that, I'm thankful," he said at a press conference this evening.
"For those who have loved ones who might be caught up in this, rest assured, we are doing all we can to set you free."
Hostages at the centre of the ongoing siege in Martin Place are reportedly now huddled at one end of the café.
The gunman had earlier rotated the hostages for around two hours at a time for stints pressed against the glass windows of the shop.
Hostages are also being fed from the kitchen at the rear of the café, although some food was brought in during the early hours.
Five hostages including three café staff have escaped the siege so far with their dashes for freedom captured on live television.
The gunman was reportedly "extremely agitated" after their escape and was seen shouting at the remaining hostages.
One of the hostages to flee the siege was Lindt cafe worker Elly Chen, whose escape, caught by cameras gathered at the distant barricades, evoked an outpouring of relief from friends on her Facebook page.
Another escapee was taken to St Vincents Hospital to be treated for a pre-existing condition and was in a satisfactory condition.
Others were this afternoon filmed walking together looking shocked from their ordeal but up to 25 more people remain hostages of the shotgun-wielding man - seen through the cafe windows wearing a black headband inscribed with white lettering.
Social media has been employed by the gunman, with reports hostages have been directed to relay his demands via Facebook accounts and to contact media outlets, however police have urged the gunman to speak directly to negotiators.
NSW Premier Mike Baird and Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione have lauded the NSW police during a press conference as the Martin Place siege continues into the night.
Hundreds of heavily armed police continue to hold an intense security cordon around the cafe this evening and central Sydney remains in lockdown as negotiators try to secure the safe release of the hostages.
"Our only goal tonight and for as long as this takes is to get those people that are currently caught in that building out of there safely," Commissioner Scipione said.
Police are keeping a tight lid on details of the situation and the gunman, who has forced hostages to contact media outlets and relay his demands.
Commissioner Scipione said police were in communication with the gunman but refused to reveal how.
"Suffice to say we have got contact with him," he told media.
Two female Lindt employees are the latest to flee from the building.
The clearly terrified women had been held at gunpoint inside the cafe for more than seven hours.
One of the women ran screaming into the arms of a police officer.
Three men, two customers and one Lindt employee, were the first to scramble to safety at about 3.30pm (AEDT).
The three men escaped the building and were not released.
The men were quickly pulled behind the protective police line.
A total of five hostages are believed to be still inside the building.
The commissioner also declined to confirm whether the five who had fled the cafe had escaped or been released, or whether the gunman is acting alone.
The shocking siege has turned Martin Place and surrounding streets - Sydney's government, legal and financial heart - into a ghost town with roads empty of pedestrians and travelled only by speeding police and emergency vehicles with lights flashing.
A huge, highly coordinated operation is under way and Commissioner Scipione said he would commit as many police to the operation as needed.
Office workers were evacuated from buildings during the day via ladders, out of windows and down fire escapes.
NSW premier Mike Baird thanked Sydneysiders for their calmness during the situation.
Workers employed within the exclusion zone are asked to work from home tomorrow.
"Tomorrow morning should proceed as usual," Mr Baird said this evening. "When you go about tomorrow morning, go about as you would.
"The transport network will operate largely as you would expect, but check the transport.nsw.info website to get full details on your journey."
Meanwhile, two hostages have contacted 9NEWS with demands from the gunman.
9NEWS reporter Mark Burrows says it was "upsetting in the extreme" to speak with two hostages, both women, inside the cafe this afternoon, who both contacted the station's newsroom at the demand of the gunman.
Ray Hadley says he spoke with hostage, and could hear the gunman in the background barking orders and demanding to go live on air View on Twitter
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that NSW police are being supported by Commonwealth Agencies as they work on the hostage situation in Martin Place.
Burrows said he could hear the gunman in the background "clearly ... outlining his demands", which 9NEWS has refused to air in cooperation with authorities.
Burrows said the first woman "sounded remarkably calm as she detailed (the gunman's) demands".
She asked Burrows to pass on a message to her husband, who also remarked that his wife was "always so cool in a crisis".
The second woman Burrows spoke to was "agitated" that nothing seemed to be happening, the journalist said.
"She also relayed more of his demands but he (the gunman) would not come to the phone," Burrows said.
"It was upsetting in the extreme to hear these women talking ... women who should be at home with their families ... who are now plunged into a deadly situation."
The alarm was raised about 9.45am after onlookers reported a man with a shotgun taking hostages in the cafe.
In the first hours of the siege, hostages were forced to hold what appeared to be an Islamic flag, identified as a Shahada flag, in the cafe window reading: "There is no god worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is his messenger."
The flag is used by the group Jabhat al-Nusra - which preaches jihad and has links to terror groups ISIS and Al Qaeda.
The siege has grabbed attention around the world with US President Barack Obama briefed and leaders from the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada expressing their concerns for the hostages.
In a statement, Mr Abbott said he had received messages of support from a number of international leaders.
Earlier, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said police have "not confirmed that this is a terrorism-related event."
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Australians had to understand there were people in the world who wished to harm the country, but he stopped short of calling the incident terrorism-related.
"We don't know whether this is politically motivated, but there are some signs it could be," he said.
Australia's national terror alert level was lifted to High in September just before two people were charged in raids in Sydney amid reports there was a plot to behead a member of the public in Martin Place.
Mr Abbott said at the time there was no specific information behind the decision.
Do you know more? Send an email to [email protected]
© ninemsn 2014
First is a timeline of events of the day from when the siege began until late evening in Sydney.
http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/12/15/17/37/sydney-siege-timeline-of-events
Below is the latest information. Within the link are videos and pictures
http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/12/15/10/00/major-police-operation-in-sydneys-martin-place
Martin Place Siege
8:43pm December 15, 2014
Nicholas McCallum
Huddled in the dark, up to 15 hostages are tonight hoping for a breakthrough in negotiations to free them from a gunman.
Well-wishers are standing in vigil outside the exclusion zone in Sydney's Martin Place, as an eerie quiet settles over the city.
Half a dozen families of those being held have gathered at a nearby St James building, with police keeping them updated as to the negotiations.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione issued a message directly to the captives: "I understand no-one has been injured and for that, I'm thankful," he said at a press conference this evening.
"For those who have loved ones who might be caught up in this, rest assured, we are doing all we can to set you free."
Hostages at the centre of the ongoing siege in Martin Place are reportedly now huddled at one end of the café.
The gunman had earlier rotated the hostages for around two hours at a time for stints pressed against the glass windows of the shop.
Hostages are also being fed from the kitchen at the rear of the café, although some food was brought in during the early hours.
Five hostages including three café staff have escaped the siege so far with their dashes for freedom captured on live television.
The gunman was reportedly "extremely agitated" after their escape and was seen shouting at the remaining hostages.
One of the hostages to flee the siege was Lindt cafe worker Elly Chen, whose escape, caught by cameras gathered at the distant barricades, evoked an outpouring of relief from friends on her Facebook page.
Another escapee was taken to St Vincents Hospital to be treated for a pre-existing condition and was in a satisfactory condition.
Others were this afternoon filmed walking together looking shocked from their ordeal but up to 25 more people remain hostages of the shotgun-wielding man - seen through the cafe windows wearing a black headband inscribed with white lettering.
Social media has been employed by the gunman, with reports hostages have been directed to relay his demands via Facebook accounts and to contact media outlets, however police have urged the gunman to speak directly to negotiators.
NSW Premier Mike Baird and Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione have lauded the NSW police during a press conference as the Martin Place siege continues into the night.
Hundreds of heavily armed police continue to hold an intense security cordon around the cafe this evening and central Sydney remains in lockdown as negotiators try to secure the safe release of the hostages.
"Our only goal tonight and for as long as this takes is to get those people that are currently caught in that building out of there safely," Commissioner Scipione said.
Police are keeping a tight lid on details of the situation and the gunman, who has forced hostages to contact media outlets and relay his demands.
Commissioner Scipione said police were in communication with the gunman but refused to reveal how.
"Suffice to say we have got contact with him," he told media.
Two female Lindt employees are the latest to flee from the building.
The clearly terrified women had been held at gunpoint inside the cafe for more than seven hours.
One of the women ran screaming into the arms of a police officer.
Three men, two customers and one Lindt employee, were the first to scramble to safety at about 3.30pm (AEDT).
The three men escaped the building and were not released.
The men were quickly pulled behind the protective police line.
A total of five hostages are believed to be still inside the building.
The commissioner also declined to confirm whether the five who had fled the cafe had escaped or been released, or whether the gunman is acting alone.
The shocking siege has turned Martin Place and surrounding streets - Sydney's government, legal and financial heart - into a ghost town with roads empty of pedestrians and travelled only by speeding police and emergency vehicles with lights flashing.
A huge, highly coordinated operation is under way and Commissioner Scipione said he would commit as many police to the operation as needed.
Office workers were evacuated from buildings during the day via ladders, out of windows and down fire escapes.
NSW premier Mike Baird thanked Sydneysiders for their calmness during the situation.
Workers employed within the exclusion zone are asked to work from home tomorrow.
"Tomorrow morning should proceed as usual," Mr Baird said this evening. "When you go about tomorrow morning, go about as you would.
"The transport network will operate largely as you would expect, but check the transport.nsw.info website to get full details on your journey."
Meanwhile, two hostages have contacted 9NEWS with demands from the gunman.
9NEWS reporter Mark Burrows says it was "upsetting in the extreme" to speak with two hostages, both women, inside the cafe this afternoon, who both contacted the station's newsroom at the demand of the gunman.
Ray Hadley says he spoke with hostage, and could hear the gunman in the background barking orders and demanding to go live on air View on Twitter
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that NSW police are being supported by Commonwealth Agencies as they work on the hostage situation in Martin Place.
Burrows said he could hear the gunman in the background "clearly ... outlining his demands", which 9NEWS has refused to air in cooperation with authorities.
Burrows said the first woman "sounded remarkably calm as she detailed (the gunman's) demands".
She asked Burrows to pass on a message to her husband, who also remarked that his wife was "always so cool in a crisis".
The second woman Burrows spoke to was "agitated" that nothing seemed to be happening, the journalist said.
"She also relayed more of his demands but he (the gunman) would not come to the phone," Burrows said.
"It was upsetting in the extreme to hear these women talking ... women who should be at home with their families ... who are now plunged into a deadly situation."
The alarm was raised about 9.45am after onlookers reported a man with a shotgun taking hostages in the cafe.
In the first hours of the siege, hostages were forced to hold what appeared to be an Islamic flag, identified as a Shahada flag, in the cafe window reading: "There is no god worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is his messenger."
The flag is used by the group Jabhat al-Nusra - which preaches jihad and has links to terror groups ISIS and Al Qaeda.
The siege has grabbed attention around the world with US President Barack Obama briefed and leaders from the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada expressing their concerns for the hostages.
In a statement, Mr Abbott said he had received messages of support from a number of international leaders.
Earlier, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said police have "not confirmed that this is a terrorism-related event."
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Australians had to understand there were people in the world who wished to harm the country, but he stopped short of calling the incident terrorism-related.
"We don't know whether this is politically motivated, but there are some signs it could be," he said.
Australia's national terror alert level was lifted to High in September just before two people were charged in raids in Sydney amid reports there was a plot to behead a member of the public in Martin Place.
Mr Abbott said at the time there was no specific information behind the decision.
Do you know more? Send an email to [email protected]
© ninemsn 2014