all right. breaking news out of sydney, australia, where there's a possible hostage situation unfolding. i have a statement from australia's prime minister on the situation that's taking place at the chocolate shop in martin place. "new south wales police and the australia police are responding to a current hostage-taking incident in martin mall in sydney. that is coming from the prime minister as they keep an eye on this. 7 news network indicates that there are 13 hostages being held inside. let me show you video from moments ago outside of that chocolate shop where the authorities are there monitoring the situation. we're told around 9:44 a.m., this is monday morning there in sydney, a woman saw a man with a

blue sports bag, thought it might be a gun, called the police. that man then entered the shop. that is how this all unfolded. we are on top of this and bring you the latest breaking news as soon as we have it here on cnn and on cnn.com. i'm poppy harlow. thank you very much for being with me this sunday evening. "cnn special report" begins right now. the following is a cnn special report. good evening. i'm kyra phillips. you've seen the videos countless times. images caught on tape. amazing rescues, death defying acts, killer weather and outrageous criminals. but what are the real stories behind those pictures? what really happened before and after that camera started rolling?

find out in "videos gone viral." close calls, unexpected brushes with death and when they're caught on camera, these death defying acts go viral. take, for example, these two girls filming a karaoke selfie all while driving. suddenly crashed. surprisingly, they ended up with only minor injuries, but not a surprise, the viral outrage over their stupidity. this family is taking a nice leisurely drive until they're faced with a car heading the wrong way and there's nothing they can do. miraculously, the family was okay. now, i want to warn you, this video is going to make you cringe. a woman and her 5-year-old

grandson are strolling down a street in brazil when an out-of-control vehicle rams into a parked car, rocketing it right towards them. there's no time to react and the car runs right over them. yet another lucky family. they only suffer minor injuries. in australia, for reasons unknown, this woman jumps onto a moving train. she stumbles and disappears. but once the train rumbles by, the video reveals she's alive on the tracks defying death. in this next death-defying video, we meet ron from massachusetts. pumping gas is his gig. >> i love it because people are nice.

i like it. everybody! sometimes it's busy and sometimes it's slow. >> but no day was ever like this one. >> i was standing right here. it was in the morning. when i see the car was right here. >> the terrifying moment all captured on this surveillance tape. >> i don't have any time reaction, you know. next time i see i was in the street trying to wake up, you know, and i cannot move. >> his boss, john nasser, was doing paperwork when he heard the crash. >> i hear this big banging noise. i look straight into the cameras and all i see was ron, a car. >> an elderly man loses control of his car and ron is thrown

back 30 feet landing inches from oncoming traffic and just feet from a burning gas pump. >> from the video you can see how the car went through him. and threw him away, you know. >> i was right here. my leg was on the street and half of my body was on the grass. and i see the flames, a lot of friends over there. i try to stand up but i can't move. >> the gas pump is on fire. >> my first thought was, oh, my god, it's going to blow up. >> but nasser's brother-in-law runs to the rescue with three fire extinguishers while the pump's safety valve kicks in stopping the flow of gas. >> i rush to run to check on him because he was thrown to the street. i want to make sure no cars go by and hit him again just to check on him and the poor guy,

all he was saying, my back, i can't move. i can't move. >> ron was seriously injured. months later, we showed him the security video. it's the first time he had seen the entire tape from that day. >> i'm in shock right now because i don't remember the whole thing, you know. i don't remember this happening. i just remember the hit and i don't remember the rest of it, you know. >> are you all right? good. good. >> thank god ron was okay. he's not 100% but he'll get there. it was worse than this and he could have died or the station could have blown up or whatever. >> and ironically, it wasn't the first time this happened at one of john's gas stations. just two days earlier, this near miss was also captured on security video. >> what are the odds two gas stations that belong to me

within a couple of days? >> on a rainy night in portland, oregon, first responders are confronted with a huge challenge. a car stuck on a railroad track with a train barrelling full speed ahead. it all started when patrick higgins hears a startling sound. >> like the shriek of sheet metal. the sound was enough to get anybody to look. >> you could tell the guardrail had been completely snapped away. >> that guardrail separates traffic from the railroad and a train is coming. >> and the car was clear up on that slope and with the train coming, it swiped it away like batting a ball. >> within moments, rescue crews swarm the site. the driver can't get out. >> he was actually pinned in

underneath and he wasn't going to be coming out on his own. >> captain corey wilson with firestation 14 is first on the scene. firefighter lisa knight is wearing a helmet cam. capturing the event. >> and he kept kind of saying that he just needed us to pull him out. right there i was just seeing if i could pull on that door a little bit before the truck company got there to cut it open. >> these firefighters had only a matter of minutes before the oncoming freight train would crush the car with the driver still inside. it's on the edge of an active railroad track and a freight train is rumbling by on another track just feet from the accident. >> i remember the police officers were keeping us posted on where the train was. i remember vividly one of them coming up and saying, hey, the train is about a mile out and it's still at speed. >> and no one can reach the railroad company to stop the

oncoming train. >> you know, in the back of your mind you have that, there is a train coming in. it hasn't stopped and there is still not confirmation that it's stopping. >> so the crew takes quick action. they decide to lift -- it weighs several thousand pounds. >> it was good team work between the police and ambulance crew that was there. it was one, two, three, lift and i think you can hear it on the video. >> one, two, three. >> but the first lift is not enough. >> and we're still a little close to the tracks for comfort so we decided to do it again. >> one, two, three. >> we've moved the car off the track. >> it's sml ingrained in your head where you're leak, okay, i

know how to squat, pick up things so it's like, let's do this. i guess it's the adrenaline. it took two times but it was a fluid motion and it was great. >> one, two, three. >> finally, the six firefighters managed to lift the car off the tracks. >> sir, are you getting some relief from that? >> the driver is safely moved and transported to the hospital. >> when everything was all said and done, we could see the oncoming train had come to a stop. we could see its lights in the distance about 25 blocks away. so it was -- when we were picking it up and seeing that train, it was a reminder of how close things were. up next, first responders don't just save lives. >> we're delivering a baby.

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if you've had to become your own investment expert, maybe it's time for bny mellon, a different kind of wealth manager ...and black swans are unpredictable. in the past, you had to read a police report to find out exactly what went down at the scene. now, there's dash cam and mini cameras attached to sunglasses, helmets, where everything is recorded. and because of that, you never know what's going to happen. [ sirens ] >> simple sobriety tests can become dance contests. >> you like that? >> unfortunately, for this ohio driver, he's performing for the wrong audience.

a jail break caught on tape becomes an embarrassment for the whole world to see. that's prisoner derek estell ppsz sliing through a small counter slot. this hugh dean knee was on the run for almost two months before landing back in prison. even some folks famous for their on-camera work can find police footage unflattering. >> do you know my name, sir? >> for those of you who don't -- >> you're about to find out who i am. >> that's oscar winner reese witherspoon. when she and her husband are pulled over in atlanta, this cameo goes viral. >> i'm an american citizen. >> i told you to get in that car and stay there, didn't i? >> the actress later apologized for her rant saying she panicked. >> i have done nothing against the law. >> when her husband was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

>> now being arrested and handcuffed? >> yes. >> for cops patrolling the streets, it can be a jungle out there. as one rookie in aransas pass, texas, finds out. >> it all started with a traffic stop. >> patrol officer keith moore had only been on the force for a few months. >> everything seemed normal. i didn't see any passengers in there. >> he was pulling over richard for speeding. >> he doesn't seem nervous or he's trying to hide anything from me. >> when he asked to sign his ticket, that's when things get a little wild. >> you sign right here. >> whoa! >> meet april, the capuchin monkey leaping out from the backseat. >> kind of lunged at me and shocked me. >> he didn't have his buddy's back exactly.

>> the monkey attacked my hand. >> he thought it was real funny. >> it came out of nowhere. >> he thought i got stung by a bee but it was a monkey. >> any moment were you thinking, what the hell is a monkey doing in this guy's car? >> yes. it was extremely shocking. i wasn't expecting that. >> neither was april's owner. usually, she's well behaved but not when she's protecting papa from the long arm of the law. >> she be getting nervous, so she comes over and gets on my shoulder behind the door post. i know now she was getting ready to ambush somebody. >> what was your reaction when april leapt at the officer? >> my reaction was, oh my god, a traffic officer. we're dead. we're dead. we've got to get out of this town now. >> but this traveling tandem only got a speeding ticket while

the traffic stop video turned april into a festival phenom and viral sensation. >> aren't you adorable? >> so now, as april and proud papa travel to fairs and festivals all over texas -- >> monkey! >> everyone wants a little affection from the smoochinging celeb. because who wouldn't want to be kissed by a monkey? save it. we'll do it again. >> in milwaukee, wisconsin, officers javier spoez bonitez and bradley were out on night patrol when they thought they came across a drunk driver. >> looked up, saw a guy at red lights honking his horn and proceeding through them. we turn around behind the vehicle not knowing what it was, possibly a drunk driver. >> after several blocks, the

driver, felipe alba, pulls over. the cops get out to investigate. >> our alert -- more heightened alert because i hear a moaning, someone in pain as i continue my approach. i see fully that the female passenger is in labor. >> we're delivering a baby. >> i try to tell them, she's having a baby. >> the two cops quickly realize brenda alba needs help. she's not going to make it to the hospital. bonitez and bradley become mid wives with a badge. >> i immediately opened the door and just explained, i'm going to help you basically catch the baby at this point. >> the mom the whole time was very calm and they had a 5-year-old in the back seat jumping around saying, oh, my little sister's coming >> within seconds, bella is born right in front of the milwaukee public market. the officers unwrapped the umbilical cord around her shoulder but bella still isn't breathing.

>> we started to clear the airways, but did a slight pinch to get the nose and patting the bottom. adam is flicking her feet to get that response. it felt like forever. >> all of the sudden, she cries and you hear probably like 10, 20 police officers and all of them are cheering. >> they are like, aww, she's cute. >> bonitas is the dad of two small girls. now he feels like he has three. >> i'm excited like i'm the father. i have smiles ear to ear. i can't believe that just happened. that we just did that. it was a great feeling. months later, it was time for the reunion. >> you look great. >> thank you. >> you look good. >> hi, cutie. how you doing? do you remember us? >> if you get stopped by a police officer, you forget that face, you know, but these two guys, we're going to remember them for ever.

>> it was more than just a police help or a service or something. it seemed like they actually cared. >> this was, by far, the most different rewarding thing i have ever done or been a part of. >> it's one of the top things that you can ever do on the job. >> this job has its perks and rewards. better than a free cup of coffee. up next -- >> what i saw after that is just undescribable with the car bailing up behind me. >> see what happens when a training service for a guide dog turns into a real-live rescue. ♪

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rescues of every kind make great viral videos. >> got to be careful. oh, man. >> just take a look at this man stuck on top of a construction crane here in canada as fire rages below. he's soon plucked from the skies by a military helicopter. burned but alive. orange county sheriff's deputies rush into an inferno of another kind. >> get out of your car right now! >> a blazing car, saving a driver just before it explodes. time is running out for this dog after it wanders out too far on a frozen pond. a determined firefighter makes his way through the icy waters smashing the ice with his fists and pulling the dog to shore.

and get a load of this one. two people nearly run over by a car but saved by a dog named o'neil. o'neil was training to be a guide dog. a job he had been groomed to do since he was a puppy. just look at these young dogs at guide dogs for the blind in northern california. >> don't chew on the camera. >> it's very scary. >> the pups are sent to people who raise them for about 18 months. claur reece williams had o'neil. >> he is such a sweetheart. very mellow dog. he's just a joy to be around. >> it was not easy giving him up when he graduated. >> you have been with this dog day in and day out. they go everywhere with you. and you just become so attached to them. they let you be alone in the

little kennel and you say your good-byes and you cry. >> but it was time for claurice to let go and trainer todd jerk to take over. >> we were in our final testing and we were preparing o'neil to finish up and we were going to match him with a client if all went well. >> todd had no idea the big laboratory retriever would soon be a lifesaver. >> when i heard it, it was a big bang and like a firecracker. >> what was supposed to be o'neil's final exam became a real-life death-defying act. >> glass smashed out of this building and that's what got o'neil's attention. >> here's what happened. one instructor is blindfolded, o'neil is leading the way and todd is evaluating. >> and what i saw after that is just undescribable.

with a car barrelling up behind me. >> captured by three security cameras, a car hurdling in verse towards the trio. the driver reportedly hit the wrong pe dchl al. >> so when they hear traffic, they are trained to respond to that. he turned around immediately to alert us, which was pretty cool. he didn't put on the brakes or freeze or anything. he did what he was supposed to do. he did a really nice job. >> and word traveled fast at guide training center. o'neil was a hero. >> i couldn't believe it. and then i saw the video and that was the first time i saw him since i dropped him off. it brought tears and i just was amazed, that's o'neil? all that hard work was worth it. >> the near miss left an impact on top as well.

>> all our testing goes up that block. so i had to modify testing for about a month just to get over it and i know now every time i look across the street there's still the tire marks and car marks on the building so that's very hard for me to continue to see and it always brings it b k back. >> we reunited the team of trainer and dog. >> hi. how you been, huh? >> it was a happy ending to a bad situation. >> today, o'neil is a therapy dog in fresno, california, still helping people but in a different way. >> what a big dog. >> yeah, he is. >> goodness. >> i'm very proud of him doing a job that's keeping people calm and he's part of that calmness so that shows you how well he handled that catastrophe.

>> you're such a sweet boy. yes. tampa police pilot, dave denison and tactical flight officer brian gentry have been flying together for four years. >> we know each other's strength and weaknesses kind of deal. it's like a married couple. you have your good days and bad days. >> it's around 11:00 p.m., 230 miles to the north. courier pilot mark love takes off from valdosta regional airport in georgia. heading for tampa, florida. soon, their paths would cross. >> it was right about here when gentry and denison heard that first distress call just before midnight. >> i'm going to need runway 1-0. i've lost pressure. >> the cessna was failing.

>> do you want the equipment standing by? >> no, sir. let me talk to you on the ground. is running a little rough but i should be able to make it, though. >> as we heard the aircraft in distress, both of us kind of looked at each other. that's when we progressively started getting worse. >> then, just across the horizon, gentry spots a flickering speck on his infrared camera and zeros in. >>| a small white light. you can discern more that it's an aircraft and it is becoming larger. >> there's a portion of the tape that you actually hear us comment and i believe i said is that he's going to make it. he's got it. >> he's got it from there. >> but they were wrong. >> all vehicles, we need you to roll immediately. >> you guys do realize a single engine cessna heading straight for traffic on tampa's busy memorial highway. >> you can see love's plane narrowly miss a truck and then

he crashes. only 40 yards from the runway. >> pd 4, thanks. we lost his light. very short to the runway. >> the distress calls go silent and the next thing, denison and gentry knew, their routine air patrol was about to become a dramatic rescue. >> i knew i was going to be able to put that aircraft on the ground a lot faster they were going to get there and get him out. >> while denison shuts down the chopper, gentry leaps out and runs to the plane. the engine is on fire. and the pilot is in bad shape. >> it was dark. he hit the dashboard of the cockpit pretty hard with his face. if i knew the individual, i wouldn't have recognized him. >> making the rescue even more difficult, the pilot is stuck and unconscious. fuel is leaking and at any moment, this cessna could blow. >> one way or another, that guy

was coming out of that airplane before the airplane, you know, caught on fire. >> but the door is jammed, so gentry with all his strength rips it open and pulls mark love out of the burning aircraft. >> wow. >> two months after the accident, gentry gives us the first look at the mangled plane. >> did you actually get inside the aircraft and pull him from the seat? tell me how you did it. >> i was completely in the aircraft, basically a bear hug and began pulling on him to free him from the cockpit. >> what would have happened if you weren't able to get him out of there? >> probably would not have been good. >> pilot mark love is still recovering. he talked to denison by phone. >> he thanked me. he told me that many of the doctors he spoke with have said we did play a role in the outcome of his life. if brian would not have removed him when he did, he might not be with us.

>> whoo, ready to roll, buddy. up next, a homeowner records a massive tornado from his backyard but see what happened when he becomes the target. and i'll take you off-roading. >> oh my god. >> in the mudslides of colorado. >> they have no control at all. >> oh my god. they take us to worlds full of heroes and titans. for respawn, building the best interactive entertainment begins with the cloud. this is "titanfall," the first multi-player game built and run on microsoft azure. empowering gamers around the world to interact in ways they never thought possible. this cloud turns data into excitement. this is the microsoft cloud. why not your eye color? new air optix® colors prescription contact lenses enhance your eye color

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we're expecting tony abbott to come out here at any time. if you're just joining us, there's a hostage situation under way right now in the very heart of sydney. at least 13 people are being held by one gunman, demanding to speak to the prime minister. that's unconfirmed at this point. a flag with islamic writing was pushed up against the whindow ad it said no guard worthy of allah and mohammed is his messenger. it was not an isis flag. it was an islamic flag. there's a large exclusion zone right now in sydney. there's been a number of suspicious packages at the iconic sydney opera house which has been evacuated. air space is being diverted

around the city. qantas says that their flights are arriving on time but they are avoiding this place right now. a remainder to our viewers, this scene right now with the tactical police, the men with the guns, these are not live images. these are recorded images but -- so essentially this standoff continues and is happening directly across from a television station, our affiliate, channel 7 australia. their building, in fact, has been evacuated. they are reporting from their melbourne studios. >> again, these pictures are not live. they were taken moments ago. here's what we know what happened. it all started around 9:44 a.m. local time there in sydney. this is according to 7 network australia. it was a woman who saw somebody looking very suspicious, a man with apparently a blue sports bag. she believed that she had some kind of weapon inside that bag

and that is when she called police. well, this man was able to enter the lint chocolate shop cafe there at martin place, the center of sydney, a pedestrian mall and that is when this hostage situation began to unfold. but as this has been unfolding, there have been a number of evacuations and this is according to 7 network australia. cnn has not been able to independently confirm this information. but 7 network's building was evacuated along with the sydney opera house and state library and new south wales criminal courts have been evacuated as well and at this time we're waiting for the prime minister of australia to speak. >> we know that he has been in emergency meetings with the national security committee, presumably those meetings are under way which is why we're waiting for some kind of statement coming from the prime minister. >> two heart-rendering images that we have to tell you about and we have shown some of the hostages pressed up against the glass. you can see their hands on the

glass of the chocolate shop's front window. and as heartbreaking as their plight is, there is something equally mysterious at another window from the south i'd. we were hearing from a reporter at the scene who said that one of the local tactical teams had several of its men pressed up themselves with their faces looking into the shop. >> right. >> their bodies protected by a large tactical shield but the way he described it and our imagery was not able to capture it, there were police officers literally pressed up against the glass. >> i want to clarify that. my understanding of how this would have worked out, what i think is going on there, this is a black shield and i think they are trying to stop whoever is inside getting their message out and that's what it is about. it's about blocking the view into that coffee shop because they want to close these people off from the outside world. that's just my hunch. >> that's a good theory. they could probably do it with

less danger to themselves. >> possibly. but it puts them in a good position as well. >> one of the questions we'll be asking about is how this is unfolding because one of the things we heard, at least as far as this correspondent was able to learn, there was no contact with the hostage taker yet. there has been a report that the hostage taker got in touch with a local radio station. we're not repeating what we were told because there's some question of whether it was the hostage taker and now subsequent reports say that even though this has been dragging on for several hours, he said that there was no contact with the hostage taker which would strike you as bizarre given how many lives are at stake and how close authorities are to these men. we don't know who the hostage taker is or what the motive is and as best as we have been told, we don't know for sure even if authorities have been in contact with him. >> let's keep in mind, the worst act of terrorism in australian

history was in 2002. so 12 years since any major terrorism incident. despite sweeps across the country in victoria, the state of victoria, the state of south wales and queensland. hundreds were detained, only two people were arrested. we know that tony abbott has raised the terror alert. they were the first ones to go in with the u.s. coalition against isis. they were the first nation to commit actual force, boots on the ground, sent a number of fighter jets stationed in qatar. they have taken part in raids on isis as well and because of that, the prime minister did in fact raise the security level. they've raised the security

level not just in public places around the country but also in the parliament because that was mentioned as an aspirational target. the prime minister himself, according to some intelligence coming from the police, from the authorities there, was also in fact an aspirational target. this is a country which i guess has been ramping up to a point where they were expecting something. there was always this concern that somebody, maybe not directed by isis but enspired by isis or some other terror group may try to do something. there was a plot to kidnap somebody, behead them at martin place, which is what we are talking about right now and drape their body in an isis flag. obviously that never happened. there was no question about the aspiration to carry it out but clearly what we are talking about is martin place a. very visible center of the city where clearly now, whoever is holding these people hostage, now has the attention of the world. >> evan perez, our justice correspondent, got us this information from two u.s. law

enforcement officials who were briefed on the matter and they tell our cnn correspondent that u.s. officials are currently working with australian authorities to lepd any assistance to try to identify the suspect. but right now information is very scarce. we don't have a lot of attention or details at this point. u.s. officials telling cnn at this stage they only know it is one armed suspect that we are talking about. we have been hearing conflicting reported, unconfirmed reports, one to two suspects, one possibly armed with a machete, one with a shotgun. all of that is unarmed at this time. the motive, also, has not been established at this point. >> and just a reminder, the u.s. consulate is not far from here as well. that, too, has been evacuated with a number of other buildings, the supreme court, parliamentary offices for the commonwealth ministers not far from this area. and also across from the

pedestrian mall from where this standoff is taking place right now. >> just to reiterate the gravity of the situation and the sheer terror that the people must be feeling, if you can show those images again, we need to reiterate over and over, these are not live pictures that you are looking at. this is obviously a very delicate and very sensitive situation as this hostage situation is unfolding in the heart of sydney. you look at this image. it's terrifying. people with their hands, arms smeared up against the window. you can't imagine what is going on in their minds right now. >> if you're watching, a crew of anchors and crew of correspondents that you might not be familiar with, our viewers in the united states may not understand whose voices you are hearing. i'm jonathan mann. i'm with amara walker and we are

watching a hostage situation. we're going to stay with the pictures that we have. you won't be seeing us. the situation is so dramatic. we are not bringing you live images. the police are at work. they have taken up positions around a small corner chocolate shop that is now the scene of a hostage taking. because security is paramount, we will not be bringing you live images unless we tell you otherwise. we're making sure the images we bring you are taped and held back just a little bit to make sure the police can do their work. >> but we'll be bringing you the prime minister live. you can see the small box on the right-hand side of your screen. that's from the national capital and from there we are expecting and we have been for some time now a statement from the prime minister attorney abbott. he's been meeting all morning with his national security committee and emergency talks about how to respond to this. >> you've been making this point but i'll make it more directly, he may have been a lot more

fearful of a situation like this than many other australians were. this is a man who has tried very hard to rouse his feel to the threat of terrorism and rouse them to the possibility as yet unrelated to the possibility that australians with travel overseas for training and bring terrorist training home to australians. >> let's talk about these details. john voss, you mentioned it earlier. this is on the backdrop of a 25-year-old man arrested on terror charges and plans for an attack on australian soil and this is unprecedented in australian history. and just back in september, australian authorities, they carried out this really large counterterrorism raid across western sydney and in brisbane and officials said that this counterterrorism raid, which was i believe the largest in australia's history, it quote/unquote thwarted serious acts of violence and tony abbott

said some of the intel generals that he looked at showed that these suspects, i believe two were arrested in these terrorism raids, were planning to carry out these public beheadings, possibly at martin place. and now we have this unfolding inside a chocolate shop, a chocolate cafe. and you see these images over and over but it's really heart rendering to see innocent victims with their hands plastered up against the window there no idea what's going to happen next as authorities there have cordoned off the area for blocks now. you have officers in tactical gear and we're just waiting to see how things unfold but at this time we still don't know the exact number of hostages that are being held inside. according to reuters, a lindt executive said that there were about 13 working inside when this happened and sky business

reporting that possibly as many as 30 customers. we're having a huge range of numbers, from 13 to maybe 40 hostages right now inside this chocolate chop. >> it's striking how little we know either from the hostage taker or from the authorities. we're waiting to hear from australian prime minister tony abbott. the police have issued a statement but it was very short information and described it as an ongoing one and said that the police were doing their work to try to bring it to a speedy and safe conclusion. so we don't know how many hostages there are, who the hostage taker or takers may be. we've had reports of the weaponry they may be carrying. there is a black flag with yellow lettering posted on one of the windows. the people who have seen it says it's the muslim profession of faith and that's symbol to enough about what we're watching but we don't know why it was put

there. we are waiting and watching this unfold. we, again, because of our affiliates and colleagues in the area are seeing images from the scene, it's broad daylight. it's the middle of the day in a normal busy part of downtown. we are not bringing you live pictures out of concern for the security operation and safety of the -- >> you have state police services in australia. you don't have city police services. that's very, very typical. they never give out a lot of information. they give out bare bones until they have a very clear idea of what is going on, until everything is essentially wrapped up. we're not going to get a lot of information from this from the police until they hold a briefing and they are not going to hold a briefing until many, many hours from now, until this is over or essentially established a handle on the situation. >> it would be incumbent on the prime minister to explain what is going on. that's part of the interest of

what we're hearing and as we're looking at the pictures of the hostage scene, we have a live camera trained on the podium where the prime minister is expected to speak. no activity. we expected him some time ago but he's got a lot on his plate. >> all right. i was just going to recap what's happening as we wait for the prime minister to speak. we are following a hostage situation at a pedestrian mall, and this video -- this is not live -- this video you're looking at is the building where all of this is unfolding. it's a lindt chocolate cafe. we don't know the number of hostages inside right now but this began several hours ago after a woman noticed a suspicious man -- we want to listen in now to prime minister tony abbott.

>> i'm going to make a short statement on the hostage situation at martin place in sydney. new south wales are responding and they are being strongly supported by commonwealth industries. we don't yet know the motivation of the perpetrator. we don't know whether this is politically motivated, although obviously there are some indications that it could be. we have to appreciate that even in a society such as ours, there are people who would wish to do us harm. that's why we have police and security organizations of the upmost professionalism that are ready and able to respond to a whole range of situations and contingencies, including the situation that we are now seeing in sydney. the whole point of politically motivated violence is to scare

people out of being themselves. australia is a peaceful, open and generous society. nothing should ever change that and that's why i would urge all australians today to go about their business as usual. of course, if anyone does have any suspicions of untoward activity, there's the national security hotline 800-123-400 which i would urge them to call. i can let you know that the national security committee of the cabinet has been briefed on this incident. i've been in regular contact with premier baird over the course of the last couple of hours. i've been briefed by

commission commissioner pea of the new south wales police. this is an unfolding situation and as the situation unfolds, there will be operational updates provided by the new south wales police. i want to assure people that the ordinary business of government must go on and it will go on and that's why our treasurer and fi ma nans minister will be releasing our plan. finally, this is a very disturbing incident he can understand the concerns and anxieties of the australian people at a time like this. but our thoughts and prayers must, above all, go out to the individuals who are caught up in this -- i can think of almost nothing more distressing, more

terrifying than to be caught up in such a situation and our hearts go out to those people. i'm going to leave it to the new south wales police who are in operational charge of this incident to provide those kinds of details. obviously in a situation like this, all sorts of reports fly around. all sorts of claims are made so i do urge everyone to exercise caution in tlear reporting but i will leave all of the operational details to the new south wales police who, as i understand it, will begin providing operational updates shortly. thank you. >> okay. you were just listening to australia's prime minister tony abbott responding to the situation unfolding, the hostage situation in the heart of sydney. you heard him say this is a very

disturbing incident, that his thoughts and prayers go to the families and the people, the victims being held hostage right now. and he did indicate, he did say that we don't know what the motivation is but there are indications that this may have been politically motivated and we heard him there urging the public to just go about their business as usual. >> one thing that was interesting, our viewers in the united states and international viewers would not pick up on it. he talked about the midyear fiscal release. until that happened, that was the biggest story in australia. they were dealing with a deficit and there was some talk that they were not going to do it because of this. they were going to delay it. clearly the prime minister decided to take his own advice, which is go about business as usual, carry on, don't let this affect you. that's why they are continuing on with that. >> i'm struck that he made no effort to dissipate the cloud of confusion which hangs over this

incident and i make that point because he made that point. we have heard only the sketchiest details about who the hostage taker might be or what he or she might have wanted to achieve and he specifically said very little except to warn the media against those early reports. all sorts of reports fly around. all kinds of claims are made. he was warning us that the earlier reports, which we're not going to bother repeating, let's stay away from them and the cloud of confusion and mystery about who this hostage taker may be stands. >> i would suggest that the reason why he didn't give a lot of details about exactly what is happening and who is in there is because they just don't know. >> that may be. >> that is the problem. there is somebody inside that coffee shop with a gun, a shotgun, maybe a machete, possibly wearing a bandana, according to some reports, who made the hostages hold this flag up against the window and right now that's pretty much all

that's out there. there's not a lot. >> it raises a lot of questions about why, if you're right, they don't know more. is the hostage taker refusing to communicate with authorities? are there communications under way that they simply don't want to make public? the mystery is nearly complete. >> you've been seeing the video cycle through. a couple victims holding their hands up, pressed up against the window. they are at the lindt chocolate shop cafe where people meet up and have hot chocolate, hot tea. >> the prime minister described it as nothing more distressing or terrifying than what the people are enduring he enduring. he's absolutely right about that. >> all right. we've been monitoring this situation for you inside of the lindt cafe at a very busy mall in sydney.

we're going to continue to monitor this for you on cnn.com and rolling coverage and bring you any updates you need right here on cnn. stick with us for the very latest. right now, cnn films: "dinosaur 13."