Siege in Sydney: Five hostages escape from cafe

Sydney, Dec 15: Five hostages, including two female workers, Monday escaped to safety from a cafe where over 30 people are being held hostage by gunman in this Australian city. Five hostages have made it out of the cafe at Martin Place, Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald. An armed man took the people hostage inside the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Sydney's central business district. The dramatic siege took place in Sydney's bustling central business district, days ahead of Christmas. The hostages were seen standing with their hands up at the windows of the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place. There was also a black and white flag, believed to be a jihadi flag, being held up in a window, Xinhua reported. Heavily armed police responded quickly and surrounded the building. There were conflicting reports about the number of hostages. While one account put the number of hostages at 20, another account said that there were over 30 hostages. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called for calm as security personnel tried feverishly to tackle the siege. The Indian consulate is located less than a kilometre away. In New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the siege. "The incident in Sydney is disturbing. Such acts are inhuman and deeply unfortunate. I pray for everyone's safety," the prime minister said in a statement.