A gunman continues to negotiate with police almost nine hours into a hostage siege in the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Martin Place in the heart of Sydney's CBD.
Chris Reason, a journalist from Channel Seven, said in posts to social media site Twitter that the gunman appeared to be rotating hostages, forcing them to stand against windows for as long as two hours at a time.
Five hostages have managed to flee the cafe, hours after a gunman first holed himself up in the store and forced hostages to display an Islamic flag. It remains unclear how many hostages are still in the cafe.
Police have cordoned off an exclusion zone around the building, closing some roads. Apart from the affected area, people should go about their usual business in the city, police said.
Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn said the situation is now unfolding as a "negotiation" with the armed person.
She said the approach was the deal with the situation "peacefully." "It might take a bit of time but that is our approach," Ms Burn said. "We will be working into the night if this situation continues and we will be looking at arrangements for tomorrow."
Police have requested that media outlets do not report the gunman's demands. This article has been updated to remove earlier references to the reported demands.
Earlier, two female cafe workers ran from the building at about 5pm. Three men escaped about an hour earlier.
The women, appeared to be aged in their 20s, ran out of the cafe a few seconds apart and into the arms of police officers. One of the two appeared to collapse as she rounded the corner from Martin Place into Elizabeth Street.
They fled from an office foyer on Martin Place that adjoins the cafe. Both were wearing brown Lindt aprons.
Television footage of the men showed two of them running from the front of cafe on Martin Place. A third, dressed in what appeared to be a Lindt uniform, is shown escaping out a side door on Phillip Street.
A heavily armed police officer left the building after the men.
Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn confirmed the hostages had made it out.
"We do not have any information to suggest anyone has been harmed at this stage," she said.
"Police negotiators have had contact and will continue to have contact."
She also said police could not confirm how many people remained inside the Lindt cafe in Martin Place, but it was fewer than 30.
There are reports that one of the hostages is now speaking to police.
The Deputy Commissioner was unable to say how many hostages were in the building.
Ms Burn said police did not yet know why the gunman was taking the action he has.
"Those motivations are not known and it would not be good to speculate," she said.
"We know have numerous police working on who this person is and what those motivations might be."
There are reports that one of the hostages is now speaking with police.
She also said police could not confirm how many people remained inside the Lindt cafe in Martin Place, but it was less than 30.
The Deputy Commissioner was unable to say how many hostages were in the building.
Lockdown
Sydney's CBD is in lockdown as police negotiate with a gunman who stormed into the busy Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place this morning and took customers and staff hostage.
In extraordinary scenes, hostages could be seen through the cafe's windows with their hands held in the air, while heavily armed police surrounded the building.
A number of hostages were being forced to hold an Islamic flag against the window shortly after the siege began at 9.45am.
Thousands of workers across the city have been sent home early and some of the city's major buildings evacuated. They include the Opera House, the State Library, Channel Seven, the NSW parliamentary executive offices, the NSW Supreme Court's criminal courts, the Downing Centre, and several city legal chambers.
An unknown number of staff and customers are being held at gunpoint inside the cafe. It was earlier reported that 20 hostages were being held.
Heavily armed police have surrounded the building, and negotiators are attempting to speak to the gunman, police said.
"Police urge members of the public to remain calm and note that an appropriate police presence is in place," police said in a statement.
A woman is believed to have raised the alarm at 9.44am when she saw a man outside the cafe carrying a blue sports bag with a gun inside.
There are reports that there could be two gunmen inside the cafe, although police have not confirmed this.
Terrified customers in the cafe could be seen holding an Islamic flag - which is black with white writing on it - up against the glass window. The flag appears to be a Shahada flag, not an Islamic State flag, but is associated with Islamist and jihadist movements.
Just before 12.30pm, police tackled a man to the ground about 200 metres from the cafe and a police officer was seen with his foot on what appeared to be a small black handgun.
SOURCE : MSN
