Australian police locked down the centre of the country's biggest city this morning after an armed assailant walked into a downtown Sydney café and took people hostage and forced them to display an Islamic flag.
Authorities said so far they are aware of just one armed assailant involve at the café. But that there could be more.
Police, including
heavily armed paramilitary officers, cordoned off several blocks around the
cafe as negotiators tried to defuse one of the biggest security scares in
Australia for decades. Snipers and a SWAT team could be seen taking up
positions around the cafe and police helicopters flew overhead.
At least five hostages have escaped since the
mid-morning siege began. It was not clear how many more hostages remained in
the cafe.
Prime Minister Tony
Abbott, who has warned of militant plans to strike Australian targets, said
there were indications the hostage situation at the cafe was politically
motivated.
"This is a very
disturbing incident. I can understand the concerns and anxieties of the
Australian people," Abbott told reporters in Canberra, without providing
any information on the siege.
Australia, a staunch
ally of the United States and its escalating action against the Islamic State
in Syria and Iraq, is on high alert for attacks by home-grown militants
returning from fighting in the Middle East.
Pictures showed a
black and white flag similar to those used by Islamic State militants in Iraq
and Syria being held up by what appeared to be a staff member and another
woman. Local media reports said the flag was the Shahada, a general expression
of faith in Islam, a translation of which is: "There is no god but Allah;
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
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