Five hostages flee Sydney cafe during standoff

Five people escaped from a cafe in downtown Sydney where at least one armed person held an undisclosed number of hostages, Monday.

New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn confirmed to the Associated Press that three people "emerged from the location" more than six hours after the hostage crisis began.

About an hour later, two women wearing aprons with the Lindt chocolate logo fled the Lindt Chocolat Cafe into the arms of heavily armed police officers.

"The first thing that we are doing is making sure that they are OK. We will then establish who they are and then we will continue to work with them," Burn said.

Burn said police had made contact with the gunman. Police have asked that media outlets do not report the gunman's demands, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

A flag with Arabic script was displayed through the cafe window and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the events may be "politically motivated.''

The standoff gripped downtown Sydney, shutting down government offices, public transit and schools as it dragged through the day.

The normally busy and crowded business district of the city was on virtual lockdown, with hundreds of officers on the scene.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said at an afternoon news conference that "an undisclosed number of hostages'' were being held by "an armed offender.'' Some media reports said 13 people were being held hostage, but there were conflicting reports of larger numbers.

"We have moved to a footing of a terrorism event,'' Scipione said.

Television and still images from the scene showed several people inside the cafe holding their hands up in the air, pressed against windows, with a visible black flag bearing what appeared to be Arabic script.

"It's a flag that we've had people looking at. We're still trying to work out what it stands for,'' the police commissioner said.

"We do not know the motivation of the perpetrator,'' Abbott said in a televised address. He called it "very disturbing.''

"We don't know whether this is politically motivated, although obviously there are some indications that it could be," he said in the nation's capital, Canberra. "We have to appreciate that even in a society such as ours, there are people who would wish to do us harm."

St. Vincent's hospital spokesman David Faktor said a male hostage was in the hospital's emergency department. He was the only one of the freed hostages to be taken to a hospital.

"He's in a satisfactory condition, so he's sitting up and that's all we can give out. We can't talk about the reason for his presentation," Faktor said.

Abbott earlier said in a statement that local and federal police were responding to the "reported hostage-taking incident in Martin Place in Sydney.'' He called it "obviously a deeply concerning incident'' and said the national security committee of his cabinet was meeting on the situation at the cafe in Martin's Place in the city's central business district.

The U.S. Embassy in Australia's capital, Canberra, confirmed a "security incident involving at least one armed person at the Lindt Chocolate Café in Martin Place.''

The embassy in a notice posted on its Facebook page urged U.S. citizens to avoid the area and "maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security."

The Daily Telegraph newspaper of Sydney and Sky News reported it was believed there were 13 hostages being held in the cafe. Sky News reported there was at least one armed man holding the hostage and perhaps more.

The Daily Telegraph quoted the CEO of the company that owns the Lindt Cafe as saying there could be as many as 40 people being held.

The Lindt Chocolate Cafe said "we are deeply concerned over this serious incident" in post on the cafe's Facebook page and offered thoughts and prayers for the hostages and their loved ones.

The Sydney Opera House was evacuated. The New South Wales parliament was shut down to the public, the Daily Telegraph reported. Streets in the area of the cafe were closed, as was a major expressway into the city, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Public transportation was shut down, and courts in the area were locked down. Motorists were urged to avoid the downtown area.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the hostages were being forced to pace inside the cafe, and that there were reports the gunman had asked to speak to the prime minister.

Zain Ali, the head of the Islamic Studies Research Unit at the University of Auckland, told the Associated Press that it was difficult to read the message on the flag but he believed it was the Shahada, or declaration of faith. Ali said the Shahada translates as "There is no deity of worship except God (Allah), and Muhammad is the messenger of God." It is considered the first pillar of Islam's five pillars of faith, and has been used by groups like al-Qaida and Islamic State but wasn't invented by them, Ali said.

A police spokeswoman said no injuries had been reported.

Contributing: Associated Press