a bird's eye view of the lindt coffee shop. one reporter has been allowed to return to the newsroom. listen to him speak about the situation. >> let's start with what we can see with the gunman. he has been identifiable the last few hours as he paces back and forth in front of the four windows of lindt cafe. he is wearing a white shirt and black cap. he is unshaven and carrying what appears to be a pump action shotgun. that gun often coming into the frame of the windows. often close to the hostages. let's talk about them, mel. we counted about 15 different faces being forced up against the windows over the last eight or nine hours. not the 50 that had been speculated earlier. i think that number is widely inaccurate. we are talking about 15 people. combination of men and women and young people. thankfully no young children from our vantage point from up here. the gunman seems to rotate through the people with hands and faces up against the glass. one woman with an agonizing time for her. some have their heads in their hands lik

all is taking place in the lindt chocolate coffee shop. it is a popular place in the morning, especially when the siege began. the company put a statement out on facebook and addressed the situation. it read in part "we would like to thank everyone for this kind support for the situation at the lindt chocolate cafe at martin place." we are deeply concerned over this serious incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the staff and customers involved and all of their friends and families. >> we don't know how many people left in the coffee shop are workers or employees of the lindt company or people who were just stopping to get coffee. >> we know it is a mixture of both staff and customers who are still being held hostage. we did get some details from the police that negotiators had made contact with the gunman. those negotiations are continuing. they are working out who this guy is. we have been told by our affiliates in australia they know who this man is, but not releasing details. this guy is an aspirational jihadist who wants to be

we had hostages pressed up against a window at the lindt cafe in martin place. ♪ >> that is the scene on , the timeh street just coming up to 1:30 in the afternoon in the central business district of sydney. we have police surrounding a cafe, the lindt cafe. at least one gunman taking hostages. we have tony abbott speaking a while ago, saying that the siege may be politically motivated. we have already had some of these television images showing hostages pressed up against the window in martin place. art in place, surrounded by important buildings. we have mccoury bank, also, the reserve bank of australia, westpac as well, and the general consulate, the u.s. consulate, which has been evacuated. many people have been told to stay at their desks while this continues. we also have our bloomberg bureau right around the corner from their. paul allen has been covering this developing story from the start. what is the latest? >> we are now into the fourth hour of this incident. police are calling it an armed incident. a standoff continuing. we had a report 30 minutes a

they are 15 meters away on the other side just opposite the lindt cafe. so they've been allowed back in their newsroom. i understand when they're reporting things like lights have been turned off, i think we have to trust them because they really do have eyes right into the middle of that lindt cafe. >> what is the mood on social media, mark? earlier today, we saw those images of a black flag with white arabic writing on that particular flag, and that did fuel lots of speculation that there was a link between the sydney siege and extremist elements, either here or overseas. so what are you seeing, what are you hearing on social media in terms of what people are saying about this possible link between the sydney siege and militant groups perhaps overseas? >> reporter: a photo was up loaded very early on in the siege. a channel 7 reporter had a photo of two women, which were holding up a black flag with arabic inscriptions, and from all reports, it's a flag which is a very important message written on that flag for many muslims. but as you can imagine, a bl

a gunman took hostages inside a lindt chocolate shop. nearby buildings have been evacuated as well as the u.s. consulate as south wales police work to defuse this situation. >>> the protests in hong kong are over at least for now. police cleared out the final camps. proampts said they would bprotee back. voters in japan have given shinzo abe another term in office. al jazeera's harry fawcett reports from tokyo. >> the voters gave their prime minister another term in office. there was a lack of zeal. >> the opposition is very weak so we really had no choice even though you wish others could challenge. >> and opponents were fatalistic. >> it is an election that was designed to be won so it's very strategic. as a citizen it makes me wonder, why now? >> confused by the need for this election just two years into this government's term in office. there is littl little enthusias. even from those who said they voted for shinzo abe. known as abenomics, abenomics has succeeded in third and most critical stage structural reform is still stuck in lo

the lindt chocolate shop at martin place.s a mall, very busy mall, in sydney's central business district. again, not a lot of information. here's what we know at this point in time. according to our affiliate in sydney, australia's 7 network, they're saying around 9:44 a.m. local time, remember, it is monday morning there, a woman saw a man with a blue sports bag. she thought it could possibly be a gun. she then told the police. we're also told from our affiliate that that man with the bag entered the lindt chocolate shop. that is when our affiliate is reporting that this turned into a possible hostage situation. we also can tell you that "reuters" at this hour is reporting the sydney operahouse has been evacuated as a precautionary measure and that the airspace, according to 7 network, the airspace above sydney has been temporarily shut due to this situation. we're working our sources on the ground. as soon as we have more information, we will bring it to you. again, a possible hostage situation taking place monday morning i

one of the men that ran out also had an lindt apron. that's three staff member the working in this coffee shop. i believe the woman who came out before her was carrying her purse. this woman looks like she just got out with her apron and out. and sky news reporter we talked with, believing information she has this was an escape. it wasn't a part of negotiations. and john and i's perspective. it did seem as if the police weren't expecting >> they did seem to be taken a little bit by surprise. >> earlier, the deputy director of the new south wales police took questions at a news conference. that's when we learned that police have maid cde contact wi the gunman. >> i cannot confirm numbers. about how many people might remain or have left. it is really important, i think, for us all to take on board that as this situation is continuing, and as it is unfolding, and as it is that we actually have people who are in this premises at the moment, that we manage it through patience through our negotiators, and we give them the time at the moment t

we still don't know how many hostages remain inside that lindt cafe.ut clearly the hostage negotiators, they're working furiously to try and make sure that this is resolved peacefully and that the remainder of the hostages get out safely. >> you've been there for several hours, and we heard just a few hours ago when it was time for people to start leaving, about 4:00 in australia. there were some people who were going to be asked not to leave their buildings yet, if they were facing that coffee shop. do you know anything more about what has been the commute there? sydney as people have headed home, surrounding this situation there at the coffee shop? >> reporter: yeah, there's been a steady stream of people evacuating the area. clearly they were held up in their buildings, many, many financial, commercial buildings within the vicinity of this cafe. there's also the network australia, which is offices, opposite the cafe. but the evacuation process has been taking place throughout the day, and certainly, some of those people that i spoke to, they're work

a man believed to be armed walked into the lindt cafe. at one point a flag was put in the window, on it was written the islamic crede saying there's no god but one god, and mohammed is its messenger, and it's a common expression of faith for muslims. police surrounded the area. they are giving little away except to say negotiations are going on, and it's an extremely sensitive situation. >> we know that there are people who are being held in the building in martin place. and we are aware that there is a person who is armed also in the premises. what we are seeing now is this evolving as a negotiation that the new south wales police is undertaking with the person in the premises, we had five people emerge from the location. three a little earlier, and two more recently. those people are being assessed to ensewer -- ensure that their health is okay and police will speak to them. >> count sydney, let's take a closer lock. the lindt cafe located near martin place, next door is the reserve bank of australia. opposite channel 7, and the new sou

next door very close to the lindt cafe is the u.s.onsulate, the headquarters of the reserve banks, as well asthma josh tv network which is across the road. so you have to presume this gunman armed, according to police, with a shotgun, also carrying a backpack. we don't know what is inside that backpack. he has chosen this location to get maximum coverage. we have yet to confirm how many hostages he has. police refusing to give us a number. however, as we know, over the course of the afternoon, at least five hostages have managed to break free of the lindt cafe. initially, we thought, perhaps, this was the result of negotiations. police negotiations, they were able to make contact with the gunmen this afternoon. however, according to local reporters, once these hostages fled, he was irate, yelling, so clearly he was upset. however, he has been allowing the hostages to use their mobile phones. they have local tv networks, which are his demands, the phone conversation with the tone abbott as well as calling for an isis flag to be deliver

the lindt cafe located at the elizabeth street end of martin place, close to sydney harbour. next door is the reserve bank of australia. directly opposite is channel 7 newsroom. the parliament and supreme court building has been evacuate. it's close to the heart. we have the sydney opera house. taking a look at the scene outside the cafe - you can see armed men - members of the security forces - they are there, left of your screen in the distance. it was through there that a number of hostages ran, and we are expected to hear from the police apparently within the next 30 minutes or so, another press conference. andrew thomas our correspondent - you have been following this since it started. bring our viewers up to date, please. >> well, let's go back to the beginning. 9:45 sydney time, about eight hours ago, the peak of the morning rush when it comes to martin place, a central square in the heart of sydney's c.b.d. a few hundred meters from the opera house, an iconic square, the headquarters of banks, a big motel and a big newsroom is opposite. you couldn't get a more profile

a lone gunman took 17 people hostage in the lindt cafe.the central business district. the police moved in with stun grenades. the gunman and two hostages were killed. this morning, that city still recovering. the hostage taker has been identified as a self proclaimed muslim cleric with a serious criminal record. his name man haron monis. overnight, the australian prime minister tony abbott addressed concerns about the gunman. >> it is pretty obvious the perpetrator was a deeply disturbed individual, a long history of crime, a long history of mental instability and infatuation with extremism. it is interesting the isil death cult seems to attract people like that. >> the two hostages killed have been named. lawyer katrina dawson and lindt store manager tori johnson. the city of sydney is grieving this loss this morning with a very big floral arrangement. a mound of flowers near the siege. cnn's andrew stevens joins us live from sydney with the latest. good morning, andrew. >> reporter: good morning, john. it is a beautiful memorial. i have

>> we are standing about a block away from the lindt cafe.n the corner of thunder and the street, -- hunter and philip street, central. all we have been able to see is tactical response police or the swat team as you would know them in america. there are a number of them around the corner from the cafe. havederstand the police had no contact from the man we understand his inside holding the hostages so at the moment but weice are in place cannot not know what level of contact they have had in the last hour or so. >> there have been reports of up to 10 staff working, possibly, according to the ceo, there could be 30 customers in place, up to 40 hostages possibly. what do we know about how definitive those numbers of hostages are and have any of the families reached out to media? at this stage, no numbers have been confirmed about hostages. the police commissioner held a press conference at short time ago and was quite emphatic and not giving out -- a short time ago and was quite emphatic and not giving out numbers. do not know how many were in

up to 30 people being held in the lindt cafe in sidney.here are several different signs as to why this points to terrorism which we're following as well. we have guests coming up on that. first, there's also a situation developing in belgium where police have confirmed a certain hostage situation or something else happening there that looked similar but thomas, you have new information. >> we have a clarification because we started following this about 30 minutes ago about these four armed men who walked into a small apartment building. now federal police are dealing with this situation. it's believed that this is a personal matter and not to be terror related. the number of hostages taken is still unknown. local residents are being asked to stay inside but this is an update that's come from police. this clarification saying it's much more personal than anything related that could be seen as coincidental to what's taking place in sidney. we want to make sure to make that distinction. >> looks like domestic. joining us now, a former special

it seems those still being held inside the lindt cafe have been forced to stand next to the windows. some having to hold up an islamic flag, similar to that used by militant islamist groups such as islamic state and al qaeda. but so far, the authorities are refusing to speculate on what the motivation for this attack may be. >> our only goal tonight and for as long as this takes is to get those people that are currently caught in that building out of there safely. that remains our number one priority, and nothing will change. >> reporter: there is a huge police operation under way, with heavily armed officers surrounding the cafe, locking down the city center and preparing for what could be a long siege. >> i've never seen anything like this happen. it's probably the first time in australian history that something this major in regards to a terrorist threat has happened. >> reporter: this allegedly is the armed man holding the hostages inside the cafe. police are negotiating with him to try to end the siege peacefully. >> the whole point of politically-motivated violence is to scare

an armed man holding an unknown number of hostages in a lindt chocolate shop. this shop is in the same complex as the united states consulate in sydney. a spokesman says consulate personnel have been evacuated. all are accounted for. president obama has been briefed on the situation. it is unknown if any hostage is american. those who were allowed to leave running frantically for their lives once they made it out. cnn's anna coren joins us live from the scene. anna, you have been watching this. ten hours now. it is evening. this is so dramatic. what are the developments now? >> reporter: christine, as you have reported five of the hostages have managed to get out. we don't know if they escaped on their own or if they were allowed out. we know that police negotiators have been in contact with this gunman who walked into the lindt coffee shop at 10:00 this morning. it is now just 8:00 p.m. sydney local time. there are hundreds of police within the vicinity who have cordoned off the blocks around martin place. this is where the coffee shop is located. it is the he

shots were fired inside the lindt cafe and that is what triggered the police response. police were indicating they were prepared to sit it out for some time. perhaps into today, the daylight hours or longer. shots were fired inside the cafe. the police responded immediately and went in hard in numbers with stun grenades and flash grenades. in the course of freeing the hostages, one hostage died, katrina dawson, as you say, mother of three young children all under the age of 10 years old. a rising star in australia's legal circles. she died during the evacuation of the hostages. hostages had been managing to get out. when the gunshots were first heard, it looks like a small group of hostages did manage to get out ahead of the police. it is a very quick reaction. it happened very, very quickly. situation turned dramatically. the gunman was shot and killed, we assume by police, and the two fatalities of the bystanders. sydney is coming out in force to pay respects to people for their bravery and recognize the trauma the city is going through. >> andrew, thank you. you thin

ongoing pictures outside the lindt cafe in martin place in sydney.ave emergency personnel on board. but at this stage -- okay, loud explosion heard at cafe site, then gunfire. as far as we're aware, section people have been able to leave the building. i don't know whether you're hearing anything further in term of other people who might have been able to escape the cafe? >> the latest we're seeing on some news wires -- i reiterate some -- at least six have been able to actually escape. as the news reports came in getting well into the night there, mandy, this did appear to be what you call a lone wolf situation. >> right. >> single gunman was identified in the stand-off and who made arc coring to reports, various demand like islamic state flag, like a meeting with prime minister abbott. it does appear in the last 20 minutes the police have been able to execute some additional element of their strategy in dealing with this. >> that's right. in fact, several media outlets throughout these 15, 16 hours, carl, have been reporting that they were contacted

the lindt cafe is a popular destination for tourists.ing about a population population, it would be a big place and gain a lot of attention. >> how much of a concern is terrorism to the average australian? >> like i said it's rare for australia to have this kind of scare. the problem is those concerns about a terror attack in australia have been growing maybe for ear a year now. there was an imminent threat. of course it was this rt whatted, thank goodness. like we say, been there in afghanistan, been there beside the u.s. all the way back to korea and even vietnam. there's been concern as well not just that there might be a terror threat from abroad but from home grown militants as well. >> london where nbc's jim maceda has the latest on sydney. what's the very latest from there? >> the government is watching this very closely. major players in the anti-isis coalition. and of course providing information about this man as well. as they piece his background together on aninternational level. the gunman carrying what looks like a pump act

where we're standing it moment, 150 meters down the road on the corner is the lindt cafe.t's been taken away and the body of the hostage-taker has been in the cafe while forensic team has been in there for most of the day. that's the case we understand. but details coming up. there hasn't been a lot of information yet from the hostages themselves. now, what i can tell you is that katrina lawson was a mother of three young children, three children under the age of 10 years old. she was a rising young star in the legal world. her brother was very well known in sydney legal circles as well comes from a family of lawyers here in australia and tori johnson, the manager of the lindt cafe, his parents put out a notice, just to thank the people for their prayers and their thoughts and they called their son she roaric and there have been reports unconfirmed that in the last minute or so of that hostage siege before all went tragically wrong for those two victims that he tried to wrest the shotgun away from the hostage-taker and he lost his life in the process. so details still comi

it's a lindt chocolate cafe. 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 gener

>> reporter: milissa, it has been 13 hours now since a gunman stormed the lindt cafe in downtown sydney. we know that five hostages have been able to make it out of that cafe as it is now very late at night in australia, authorities say their plan for the rest of the evening and into the next day is to try and get those hostages, the remaining hostages out of the lindt cafe as safely as possible. they have confirmed that no one has been injured, but remaining tight lipped on how many hostages remain in that cafe building. they have refused to say whether or not the five hostages that we have seen emerge from the building were released by the hostage takers or whether or not those people managed to escape on their own. we are continuing to get more information about what is going on inside. reports suggest that there may be about 15 hostages alive in the cafe have now been switched off. negotiations are under way with the individual that remains in that cafe building. and authorities say that they know who he is, and he is known to police. this all coming at the same time as a number of

you see that woman appearing to be an employee of that lindt coffee shop. some were injured, we saw them taken from the scene on stretchers. we don't know the fate of the gunman, man haron monis. he's a self-declared cleric. he has a known criminal record we'll get to in a moment. here is one witness who says he saw that gunman at the start of the standoff. >> yeah, i saw the gunman, and he was quite tall and maybe early 40s. he was very calm and just pacing. he was looking into the cafe. customers were sitting down at the tables, still drinking. but i'm not sure what was going to unfold. but they were locked in. >> joining me from martin place is nbc news correspondent sara james who's been following this throughout. sara, you live there. you know this setting. what is the scene like right now there as people wake up in sydney? >> reporter: well, i'm standing here right near martin place, about 200 yards away, and we're still seeing passing by us the police vehicles. it is still very much an active scene, as they head to and fro the area where this hostage

lindt chocolat cafe died with two of his hostages. tori johnson, age 34, was a beloved manager at the chocolat cafe. >> he was a really sweet, loving, caring person. >> reporter: johnson's family released a statement monday describing him as the most amazing life partner, son, and brother we could ever wish for. reports that johnson attempted to grab the gunman's weapon had not been confirmed but come as no surprise to his friends. >> if he was in there, he wasn't coming out until everyone else was. he just wasn't the kind of person to put his hands up and leave. >> these were decent, good people who were going about their ordinary lives. >> reporter: katrina dawson, a 38-year-old mother of three, also perished here but was far from ordinary. the local bar association president described the accomplished legal mind as one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends. according to local reports, dawson was killed trying to shield a pregnant friend from the gunman. the news unbearable to

australian authorities have identified the hostage taker inside the lindt cafe, where he's holding several people hostage still. this situation began around 9:45 local time. let's get the latest from andrew thomas, who joins us now from sydney. what do we know about this hostage taker? >> reporter: well, these reports are unconfirmed. the local media here in sydney is quoting a police source. it has not been officially confirmed but an unidentified police source of a man holding those hostage hostages hostages in a cafe is an iranian immigrant to australia. he has a track record of being in trouble in australia. in 2007-2008-2009, he was convicted of sensing offensive message, letters to the families of dead australian soldiers killed in afghanistan. he was convicted of offensive letter-writing to them. more recently he has been charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife, very serious charge as well. and very recently he has been charged with a number of sexual offenses that relate back to incidents about ten years ago when he claims to be a spiritual healer in sydney. th

and the channel 7 newsroom is right across from the lindt cafe, evacuated early on in the siege.ut a reporter and cameraman were allowed back in to help authorities. greg parker's cameras captured the horrific scene as the hours went by. and for the first time, he's revealing what was going on behind the lens and what affected him the most. >> reporter: for me, one of the hardest things to see was those three women forced to hold that flag up up against the flag and another image of a poor guy in obvious distress with a muzzle of a shotgun in frame being pointed at his head. that was the first time he'd seen a clear threatening pose that the gun was pointed at a bloke's head, in a passive stance up against the glass. >> reporter: greg parker has been around the block a sfew times, he's seen good, also evil. but never this close to home. >> one of our producers had just come back over from the lindt cafe. >> reporter: greg has three cameras, including one with a powerful 600 millimeter lens on the coffee shop windows. when police snipers arrived to take up place in our newsroom --

he was the manager of that lindt chocolate cafe. there are reports that he tried to tackle the gunman and overcome him. police say they heard gunshots just after 2:00 this morning. and that is when they decided to storm that cafe. that is what we are learning, don, about those two victims. >> anna, tori's family, tori johnson's family just released a statement, and in it they thank people from around the world for their prayers for the family. i want to read part of it. "we are so proud of our beautiful boy tori, gone from this earth but forever in our memories, as the most amazing life partner, son and brother we could ever wish for. let us all pray for peace on earth." so anna, here's a question. also, before i get to the question, i also want to read, this is from the lindt manager. the lindt manager said "tori had been with us at length for just over two years, and he was a great ambassador for our company and the store. he managed, which he cared for passionately. he was a really important part of our management team in austral

they are uning up toward the lindt cafe.. >> we can see it on the live shot. >> the ambulances are racing through bringing patients out. we have an ambulance driver that asked the camera people to move out of the way. they had a patient to bring out.

police officers in australia have been waiting patiently outside a lindt cafe with guns drawn. outside several hostages emerging from the building safely. authorities are working to make sure others get out alive too. >> it's really important that i stress that our number one aim is to resolve this incident peacefully. >> witnesses say the whole thing started when the gunman walked into the cafe and showed his weapon. eight hours into the siege hostages called local media outlet relaying the gunman's demands. >> he has asked that the isil flag be brought immediately to the lindt cafe. the second is that he speak directly with prime minister tony abbott. >> reporter: they went into lockdown and buildings were evacuated. at one point some of the hostages were seen holding up a black flag with white writing on it, touching on fears of terrorism. >> we're not tagging it at this stage. >> the flag resembles one flown by militants with the islamic state. australia has been backing the u.s. in its efforts against the group in iraq and syria. prime minister tony abbott is urging citize

we'll show you one shot outside the lindt cafe. and you can see a member of the security forces crouched behind that, one imagines it's a traffic light post. we've heard from the deputy police commissioner for the state of new south wales saying yes, it is continuing, they are negotiating with a man in there, a person who is armed. she would not say how many people were in there. they would not say what the demand, if any, were, and she would not say whether the five people we have seen running from the lindt cafe had escaped or were released. we'll keep an eye on the picture. we have other cameras at the scene and our corresponds there. we've been listening and monitorimonitor police accounts of what is going on. if you stay with us, we'll bring you the latest news on that. in the meant, we are going to move on a little bit in terms of world news coverage. israel is calling on the united states to veto a proposal that the united nations is calling for an end to the occupation of palestinian territory. jordan is calling for a draft

perhaps a message on a card or lindt chocks.s closed while the family of tori johnson, one of the victims in the siege who died in the early hours of tuesday morning local time as he tried to wrestle the shotgun off man haron monis. the hostage-taker. i spent about 15 minutes inside the memorial, sifting through some of the flowers reading some of the messages that have been left on cards before they were comforted by members of the public, complete strangers who said in their own words they were so sorry for what happened. also questions about why the hostage-taker, man haron monis, was ever allowed to commit this crime in the first place. we know he had a lengthy criminal history and was on bail for a very serious crime. being accused of being an accessory to murder. the prime minister refusing to confirm reports that iran his home country had tried to extradite him 14 years ago. cameron price, sky news, sydney. >> now, we're also learning more about the reported acts of he heroism from the hostages killed. sometimes you get g

there appears to be another entrance into the lindt shop here from the lobby. on the other side, if you come all the way around here, you can see toward the back those black doors near the back, that's yet another service entrance to this area. and there may be another one from above. these windows may be pushing close to 20 feet tall inside if you get to the roof inside. so maybe 2,500 square feet of area. all day long the question people have been asking is how is it possible that people were able to slip out of there? that is a lot of territory for one gunman to try to control a lot of people. it is also a big challenge for the law enforcement people when they tried to go in with the flash bangs because they had to look over a big area and figure out precisely where this person was, where the hostages were as they moved in from numerous entrances. we know they came in numerous places at once. we don't know how many overall. but at least two. and to try to overpower this man, big, big challenging environment for everyone involved. >> tom, thank you so much. t

those reports the next thing we heard were very, very loud bangs coming from the direction of the lindt cafe. just behind she where this is unfolding. where we are seeing more hostages coming out of the cafe and hearing these loud bangs. >> what do the loud bangs sound like to you, kathy? >> of course we can't confirm where what they are from where i am standing but it sounds like quick gunfire from where i'm standing. it was very loud bangs and they were in quick succession and they happened just after we heard those reports 60 these hostages leaving the cafe and that was not long after we had also started reporting the identity of the hostage taker. his identity became revealed as a man known very well to police as a self-proclaimed sheik who had been facing a string of other charges and is actually currently on bail and had already been convicted of writing offensive letters to the families of soldiers who had died fighting in afghanistan. so this is this has been unfolding just in the last hour and just in the last couple minutes. as i say, hostages released and right now hearing mo

but certainly lindt, the lindt ceo as well as the family of tori johnson have both spoken out talking about the incredible man that he was. they describe him as a hero. he worked at that particular cafe for some two years, and obviously they are all grieving his loss. the other person who was killed was 38-year-old katrina dawson, a mother of three, a lawyer here in sydney, and once again, don, friends and family speaking out, talking about what an incredible woman that she was as well. >> anna, let's talk about the reaction there. reaction to the violence especially during the holiday season. >> reporter: yeah, here in sydney there's a great deal of sadness. there's a real somber feeling here. people laying wreaths, laying flowers at a makeshift memorial. flags are flying at half mast. but there's also a great deal of anger. anger because this gunman, man haron monis, was free on bail. he had been charged with two very serious offenses, the first being 40 counts of sexual assault, allegedly involving seven victims. the other charge was being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife,

this is the lindt cafe in the martin place district in sydney. he appears to be a middle-aged man carrying a back pack. what is the objective behind this hostage situation? the only indication of motive so far has really been this -- "tom deck lar's of faith used faux. >> we will be ongoing and it will be based on our best assessment about how to get those people out safely, which is what does count most. >> police are upon terring. >> stephanie has been actively getting new information for us. there are reports that the siege began with at least ten people and fewer than 30. so it is an active situation. of course she's gathering more information for us in the newsroom. we will check in with her a little later within this hour. >> yes, keeping a close eye on that. stay with us as we track this breaking story. again, a few people were able to escape. you see the harrowing video right there, completely disoriented as they try to figure out what's going on. so are we. we'll have an update in about half an hour. and when. >> the system has been in t

they are workers for the lindt chocolate and it is believed 15 are inside the building. authorities negotiating but not saying what he wants. he has been seen through the windows forcing hostages to hold islamicing ins against the glass. experts say the flag is not specific to any terror organizations although it is used by jihadist groups. >> we do not know the motivation of the perpetrator, we don't know whether this is politically motivated. although, obviously, there are some indications it could be. >> president obama was among the first of the world leader those be briefed on the takeover and the consulate in sydney has been evacuated but key staff are work at a secure location. >>> a customer at lindt cafe is lucky, check out the picture in the sydney herald an order placed 15 minutes best siege and said if it unfolded an hour earlier there would have been many more people because the cafe is usually packed with people what come in before going to work. >>> we will have the latest on the sydney siege. abc news in washington, dc, is conferring the the late -- gathe

this is outside of the lindt cafe where the hostages have been held. you can see the situation wearing heavy on them there. let's have a look at those pictures. this is what we saw just a short time ago. those people just came running out very quickly. they were fielded by the place and now they have been taken away to a debriefing room so the police can get information about what exactly was going on in there. that follows the earlier release of five hostages. again, not sure whether they were voluntarily released by the hostage taker, whether that was the release of negotiations, or whether they actually escaped. we will be speaking to our correspondent live on the scene in just a short while. >> we go to a lawyer and community advocate. we spoke with her from sydney a short time ago and asked her about concerns about backlash against the muslim community. >> the incidents that are unfolding in sydney today obviously have rattled everybody, and the strain on the community along side the rest of the strained community they're totally shocked and horri

the police commissioner and the incredible work of the new south wales police force. >> where this lindt cafe is based is called martin place. it's a big area for shopping for banks, businesses, even the u.s. consulate is about a two-minute walk from this very location. state department announcing they evacuated that building and other businesses and state department employees are at a secure location. >> people who know sydney from the one image that may come to people's minds is the opera house there. they've canceled their performances at least for tonight. you're seeing this in sydney. world capitals all over the place, including in london, new york, just big cities around the world are now taking notice and are on alert trying to figure out what's going on there. >>> we turn from that for a moment to families who lost loved ones in the sandy hook school shooting. they are expected to file suit today against the maker of the gun used in that shooting. it was two years ago adam lanza killed 20 children and six adults using a bushmaster assault rifle. lanza killed himself as police mov

a makeshift memorial near the lindt chocolate cafe is growing by the minute.alians flocking to the sight leaving flowers in honor of the two victims. prime minister tony abbott and his wife adding a bouquet to the mountain of flowers. >>> the gunman was killed as the s.w.a.t. men stormed the cafe. they described him as deeply disturbed and other troubling details about his violent past. more from brian ross. >> reporter: almost immediately, police recognized the man inside the cafe. 50-year-old man monis was out on bail awaiting trial for alleged sexual assaults and as an accessory with his mistress in the murder of his wife. the iranian refugee was best known for writing offensive letters to the families of australian soldiers killed in afghanistan. >> this pen is my gun. and these words are my bullets. >> reporter: long before he took to violence, mainstream muslims had condemned him as a phony, a fake cleric. >> basically thugs that do it in the name of jihad. >> reporter: once monis ordered the hostages to hold up a black flag, he went from hoodlum to a te

just a short time ago police stormed the lindt cafe where a man identified as 50-year-old iranian native man haron monis held people hostage. >> you can see it all developed around 2:00 a.m. local time there. that's about an hour ago. some hostaging running out of the cafe. there was gunfire, flash bang explosions. you can see police in their tactical gear wearing night vision goggles. you can see hostages fleeing off into safety again. they say the siege is over. the police from new south wales say the siege is over. how it all went down there will be questions. i want to go to reporter kathy novak in sydney. kathy, it was a long, long night 17 hours into this. apparently it all came to an end when the man, sheik haron as he likes to call himself started moving hostages inside that roo room. >> it certainly seems that way, john. all that police are saying right now, they will just confirm that as you say the siege is over. we are seeking more details about how that happened and trying to confirm reports of those fatalities and injuries right now all we can confirm is that the new south

police stormed the lindt cafe after a shot was fired. there were two groups of police men and they were on either side of the cafe. they stormed the cafe when they heard the shots. it follows a period where six hostages did escape. we are learning that there are three dead, one is the gunman and the others hostages. one was apparently shot by the gunman. there are reports of up to five people injured, as well. 16 plus hours was a long scene to begin at 9:45 a.m. australian time, very busy time on a monday morning leading up to christmas. a lot of people going about their business. very visible attention grabbing spot if you are thinking about where a gunman who wanted to make his cause well known you think where he wanted to go he would go right in the heart of sizny. he is reportedly an extremest muslim cleric. aged 50, iranian refugee who came to australia back in 1996. australian muslim groups immediately come out and denounced the attack and a number of them call it a criminal act because they do not want to be associated with this k

officials confirmed the gunman was shot and killed when he stormed the lindt chocolate cafe in downtown sid sni. a number of hostages were taken out on stretches and transported to ambulances to a range of sydney hospitals. earlier as we watched the tense standoff play out on tv, several hostages were able to escape on foot. let's bring in qutd daily bea"t" contributor courtney who lives in sydney. >> yes, i'm here. >> after how long did police finally go into that cafe which i understand is in the downtown financial district of sydney. >> it was located in sydney's central -- as to the situation, it escalated fairly quickly just after 2:00 in the morning when everyone had gone home. it's still unclear if this is something that was an operation or if they were responding to something that happened inside, but it certainly was the right time to go in considering the rest of the district was completely dead. >> do we know how many -- do we know how many hostages were initially taken? >> they still have not confirmed how many hostages were initially taken. five did escape yesterday. there

after 9 o'clock at night, this is close to the lindt cafe, the chocolate cafe in the central business district of sydney, where a man has been holding a number of hostages off since first thing this morning. we will continue to report on that, any developments we'll bring here immediately. >> on the al jazeera newshour >>> police in france have launched raids targetting an alleged network suspected of sending fighters to syria. police units moved in on a dozen target in toulouse. it's not clear how many have been arrested. almost 1,000 nationals are thought to have left france to join fighters in iraq and syria. >>> in syria there has been fierce fighting. opposition forces say they killed about 15 soldiers in idlib in the north. the al qaeda al nusra front and other opposition groups are said to have taken part in the operation. rebels say they control seven military checkpoints in the area >>> nine iraqi police men have been killed in clashes with i.s.i.l. there has been violence across anbar. coalition air strikes and iraqi security forces are being backed by tribesman on the groun

. >> it looks like four or five hostages have managed to either escape or be removed from the lindt cafe where they were being held hostages. >> more pictures coming through. more activity going on. let's find out what's happening now. >> look you can probably hear the loud explosions behind me. i don't know if it's gunfire. i don't know if it's some sort of small explosive device. that is certainly gunfire. the police are throwing something. >> they are. they are throwing something into the doorway. and we just seen another hostage brought out. a woman has been brought out. >> that may well be a stun grenade in this situation. >> we can see a woman there from these live pictures being carried out by officers. >> i can just see now -- i don't know whether you can see on this live shot a whole bunch of paramedics are running up martin place. so they are entering from elizabeth street and they are running up martin place towards the lindt cafe. i counted at least four stretchers. >> we can see that on the live shot. >> ambulances are racing through past us now bringing patients out. we had

video from a short time ago of police in sydney, australia moving in on the hostage situation at the lindtcolate cafe. the siege that lasted more than 17 hours is over. there are unconfirmed reports of two people dead. we're awaiting more details from police on the scene. we're learning more about the suspected gunman. nbc news confirmed him as haron known by sheikh haron. white house staffers have been briefed and them briefing president obama about the situation as well. nbc white house correspondent chris jansing joins me now. and former senior british officer with ten combat tours of duty joining me also. thank you for being with me, along with ayman mohyeldin. chris, let's start with you. what more do we know about how the administration is handling the chris? >> reporter: the president was briefed from the beginning about getting regular updates on this. we know that there has been no indication that the terror threat level here would be raised. would require a specific credible threat to the u.s. homeland. but obviously that is something that the white house takes part in. jay johns

he fwhent to the lindt chocolate cafe in the business district. australia is backing the u.s. coalition between isis militants in iraq. we are following developments as the situation continues to play out. watch starting at 4:00 a.m. for for the latest on this story, as well as news, weather and traffic. >>> chris christie's choice of seating at the eagles game is causing a stir on social media. the governor seen high fiving the cowboys owner when the cowboys scored. we have a live report from south philadelphia. >> how are fans reacting. >> they are not just lost at the game but because of the actions of new jersey governor chris christie. look at the video. chris dooe tee was seen sitting with the owner of the cowboys owner jerry jones. he was seen giving him high fives every time the cowboys scored. that upset a lot of people, including philadelphia council person jimmy kenny. he was seen sending three tweets over social media about christie. to paraphrase n the first one he called him a creep. in the second he poked fun at his weight and said he was awful and the third he

when asked to go to the hospital they were escorted by lindt staff.g one trip, three mens scaled. thousands have come to pay their respects in the center of the city still in shock. >> you didn't know any of these people personally, but you feel a connection? >> absolutely, yes. it could have been us, you know? >> reporter: now, the sydney police say they want people here to carry on with their lives today. they want them to come back to the central business district. and they say that all the streets that have been shut down will be reopened by later this morning. charlie. >> ben, thanks. john miller is the new york city police department deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism. he's also our former senior correspondent. welcome back to studio 57. >> good to be here, charlie. >> tell me whether an attack like this in your judgment is inevitable in the united states, or in new york city? nd are we prepared and how do we prepare against it? >> i think in many ways it is inevitable. i think it's less a question of if, more a question of

it's happening lindt cafe martin place up scale section of sidney armed police dreams surrounding cafe and evacuated area including u.s. embassy. police are called it armed incidents at this point. they won't confirm hostages. television footage shows several people inside with their hands in the air. workers following the developments in sidneyry shocked someone came and said evacuate them. >> shaken. >> imamounts from the scene show a black flag with white arabic lettering and it is yet confirmed it's linked to terrorism. >> a large part of downtown sidney remains locked down. we'll bring you updates as they become available j stay with "action news" on air and on-line as events unfolded in sit any. we'll have the latest on this developing story starting 4:30 a.m. find the latest at 6abc.com. >> in other news tonight out pouring of support for a family in delaware county survived a devastating house fire. a grandmother suffering from ms was trapped inside and wills. "action news" reporter sken live in the satellite center with more, kenneth. >> walter this was lower chichester first

. >> the take yov of the lindt cafe through terror through downtown sidney. some customersd in the the cap pal managed to escape. >> a woman shouted he as a gun. everybody started running like crazy. >> i heard witnesses say they won't to go in with shotgun. >> police started by standers for safety. i walked to the committee and he grabbed me right around the corper. >> it's still not nope how nanny moingt tanls are inside the cafe. >> we're at this stage continuing to secure and make sure we can do all we can to bring to peaceful outcome. >> i have full confidence. you say police force. >> today marked second app versusy of master at sandy hook in con dlon were no public memorials today. all flags should be flown at half half. the quaker meeting house in spring field, delaware county. they pledged to honor 26 children and educators killed in sanlty hook refewing their effort to change begun laws. >> lead he's of delaware county united for sensible gun policy asked everyone how they felt. to keep that in the her heart. >> two mrivdzkford and seller street the

the entire cbd right around the lindt cafe was evacuated.orkers were sent home and, meantime, we're trying to find out more. the gunman is known to the police. they do know who this is. media have been asked not to release those details. and the entire information is taking place on social media. things are being tweeted. information is being passed that way. and that is one of the main ways in which it's getting out, in addition to the hostages contacting media outlets with the demands of this gunman. and, again, we're more than 13 hours out and there is no sign of when it's going to end. >> sara james on the scene in sydney for us. thank you. >> we'll continue to follow it this morning. >>> meanwhile, we're hearing from friends at the center of the controversial rolling stone article of the alleged sexual assault at the university of virginia campus. kristen welker has the story. >> reporter: some are calling this ridiculous. seeing jackie after the attack, they did everything they could to help her. the university of virginia and "rolling