in sydney.ou're looking at is video shot just moments ago of a chocolate shop, outside a chocolate shop. the lindt chocolate shop at martin place. that is 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

it's the center of sydney. sydney is a city of 4 million people in the east coast of australia. it's a popular area. martin place is like a thorough fair. many of the leading businesses in the country, in the city, are based there. it's an open space. it's - the location of the cafe where the siege is happening is op state channel 7, one of australia leading commercial television stations. it's hard to think that was not deliberate, that it was - you know, it was planned in such a way, whoever did it, to have maximum media coverage because it was opposite that place. it is about a 5 minute drive from the sydney opera house, a famous building in sydney, which this morning, just recently, was shut down for an alleged suspicious package - i think at the moment, you can imagine, something like this happens, and there's a great deal of fear and misinformation. there was talk of the air space above the siege in sydney, being closed. that is not the case. apparently some planes have been diverted to other areas, but it has not been officially closed by the government or the authorities

here in sydney. what we can tell you is that five hostages have managed to escape and as you inferred, it would appear they did, indeed, get away because that gunman is so agitated as reported by one of the local reporters who could see him visibly upset. we are about a block from where this is aun all unfolding. we understand the lights within this cafe have been turned you a. we don't know if that is a police operation or the gunman, but let's recap on what's happened today. sydney under siege, anb unidentified gunman holding at least a dozen hostages inside this cafe in sydney, australia. the gunman, who reportedly calls him the brother, has contacted three local news outlets, making demands, one, an isis flag in exchange for one hostage. two, a call to the prime minister. he claims he planted two bombs in the cafe, two others in the city t. cafe is in the center of the city's bustling business district. hundreds of police officers are shouth down the outed area. >> our only goal tonight and for a

sydney opera how is up there. you are well tap with that landmark that is so significant in australia. this is circular key. a lot of harbor boats will take passengers and tourists throughout this area. you are coming into a good weather season in australia. certainly it's a bull place. the zoo would be across the harbor. this is mid-town manhattan. police not sharing a lot of information. but they are refraining from calling it an act of terror. >> we are not sure it's a terrorist event. we are dealing with a hostage situation. and we are dealing with it accordingly. by walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it may in the end. >> it's wise to be prudent with our language as we describe these things but at a certain point you can't deny what obviously unfolding. i was listening to another network on my drive in. they say we don't have any information what the motive might be why he requested a isis flag. i don't think we should be shy about saying it. bill: you have got upward of australians who have made their

in sydney. 3:18 in the morning. it will be a long time till sunrises and this plays out. heather has more. thanks. >> leland, i'm struck by many soft pictures we were seeing there. tragedy and fear on faces of those people as they ran out of that building right there. we are getting lots of fast-breaking details in the siege in sydney. it is now over. david roe, defense and national security correspondent with the age and sydney morning herald. joins us from the capital of that country in australia. david, this is europe area where you cover. are you hearing anything about any possible ties to isis or are they thinking this guy is just a lone wolf? >> look, as appears to be increasingly the case with these sort of attacks he was a lone wolf, he was not part of a established terrorism network however he may have been inspired by isis in some way. for example, by the, the documents that they put out on the internet over the past few months which have urged supporters to carry out these random, spo

it is a developing story in sydney.lice in about 10 minutes time, as well. we will be listening for any further headlines, too. ♪ >> we have an ongoing siege taking place in sydney. while we wait for further headlines, let's check on some other stories that of and making headlines. vice president of the united states dick cheney and other senior bush administration officials have taken to the talk shows to defend the cia's interrogation techniques, that after a senate report denounced them as torture. it's release spawned media attention and international outrage. dick cheney rejected it as being "a crock." >> waterboarding was, in fact, not torture. when you are dealing with terrorists of the likes of isis or al qaeda, i hadn't seen them waterboard anybody. they cut their heads off. what they did to 3000 americans on 9/11, that was brutal, bloody murder. it absolutely cannot be compared with to what we did in our enhanced interrogation program. >> the search is resuming for at least 76 people missing after a landslide

these are live shots coming from sydney. 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

more on sydney and what it means for the market here. ♪ stuart: the police force in sydney, australiaws conference today at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. look at the big war. we are down 88 points. we started out with a triple digit gain. then we came back with a loss. look at the price of oil which is another negative for the market. $56 per barrel. >> four and a half% drop because of the price of oil. keith fitzgerald is with us. keith, what i want you to do is tell me this. absent sydney. absent terror, absent the price of oil, our stocks cheap and ready to buy? >> particularly, those that are down on their luck right now. i like to stocks, actually. the first one is apache corporation. they just completed $2.75 billion selloff. stuart: hold on one second. apache is down to the present. that is one big selloff all right. it might be time to put money in on a long-term basis. >> absolutely. every time there is a massive selloff, the strongest players survive. they have a lot of upside potential. the second one is burke scheier hathaway. i think it gives you a lot of play across the americ

the lockdown began at 9:45 in the morning sydney time. there were line of ambulances and police vehicles. they have moved on, but this whole area, the sydney cbd. it's the square that is normally bustling on a monday morning with office workers, there is a television station based than square, and justin days before christmas in the main shopping district as well as the main commercial district, that's where it would have been very busy. this road, macquarie street, it is one of the main thoroug thoroughfares right in the middle of sydney. right now this entire area of syd my cbd is locked down. we look at the events of the day. >> this woman is running from the scene. but others remain trapped inside, and have been all day. officers nearby and a television station opposite the cafe were evacuated. all those specific motives have not been discussed publicly. they have described the armed hostage taker as politically motivator. >> this is a very disturbing incident. it is profoundly shocking that innocent people should be held hostage by a

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 spot in the middle of the city. we know at least one armed man went into the cafe and took a number of hostages and we don't know exactly how much. at one stage there was talk there might be 13. that nu

that is an area popular with sydney business shoppers. this is a chocolate shop, roughly about 30 people inside. when the gunman walked in, holding up an islamic flag, asking for two demands which being one, an isis flag and second, a meeting with the prime minister, tony abbott. we don't have confirmation on any of those two demands being met, but we know tony abbott made statements to the media. >> up with other point that isis itself called for attacks inside australia. they have made appeals for sympathizers and supporters of the group to carry out attacks. as far back as a month or so ago. it is a concern for officials. we also know isis has specifically called for attacks inside australia. so they're going to be looking at that connection as well. >> this is the video we know roughly five people have been freed. we don't know how their escape or their negotiation or freedom has been worked out. but you can see them running out the side there to the armed members of the police on the side of the building there. but we're going to kee

nick ralston from the sydney morning herald. we'll be back with more continuing coverage from sydney, australia. you're driving along, having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pick-up truck slams into your brand new car. one second it wasn't there and the next second... boom! you've had your first accident. now you have to make your first claim. so you talk to your insurance company and... boom! you're blindsided for a second time. they won't give you enough money to replace your brand new car. don't those people know you're already shaken up? liberty mutual's new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. switch to liberty mutual insurance and you could save up to $423 dollars. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. >>> and we are continuing to follow breaking news out of sydney, australia, where an a

but as i say, for this to be happening, unfolding on the streets of sydney here in the heart of sydney is certainly very unnerving. >> yes. i can imagine unnerving for the people inside that coffee shop right now. so many hours. they are still in there. we don't even know how many. with this man. thank you so much, anna coren for us live there in sydney. miles godfrey is a political reporter for the "daily telegraph." and he joins us now. he's been at the hostage scene all day, and he is now on the phone. miles, most of the information we're getting has been coming from reporters who talked with hostages in there, who've been been contacted. we're not getting a lot of information at all from police. what do you know? what have you heard as far as who this person is, his demands, and how many people might still be in that coffee shop? >> yeah, good evening, guys. and good evening to your viewers. the latest information that we have is there are still a number of hostages obviously involved that are still in this cafe. the initial reports we got this morning were there were around 13 hos

our starting point is sydney, australia this we are. >> we have reporters across sydney. >> it's a template>> you only need 20 seconds of footage, you put it on a loop. >> we seem so have thrown out the social responsibility of journalism to give a 24 hour news cycle. >> we create a climate of fear and hysteria. >>> the next time a story like this occurs journalists might want to start the reports with what has not happened. like this was not a terrorist conspiracy. it was not the work of i.s.i.l. or al qaeda. it was one man who happened to be mus lip, with a gun. it was not, despite the rhetoric reverberating across the air waves, australia 9/11. >> people have written in australia that it was australia september 11th, and that is - it's utterly ridiculous. it's offensive to the almost 3,000 people that died in september 11th, and hundreds of muslims that died after september 11th response. sydney's seem was a lone gunman with a shotgun. if one lop gunman is our september 11th, that speaks volume about our capacity to be frightened. >> when things happened. it's a quick rush to judge it as

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 heart of the cbd. the financial area. the bank of australia. the u.s. consulate is based there. the tv network is across the street from the coffee shop. the motive, you would think, is to get as much attention as possible. throughout the course of the day, the five hostages managed to get away. all these ambulances parked behind me. they have come throughout the day. obviously, on stand by in case the situation turns ugly. according to police, they want this to be resolved peacefully. we have seen police snipers. they are in position and ready to go. as i stress, police here want this to be resolved peacefully. they want these hostages to get out safely. >> anna, you said it is unclear if they escaped somehow or were let go. that is a confusing aspect of the event. anna, i understand there are reports of now these demands from this

of sydney that is shut down. it's certainly not business as usual. there is traffic movement on where many lanes of traffic going on as well. at one point the police stopped traffic from crossing the bridge, although the bridge is now reopened. i had to park a kilometer back and walk in. and during that walk i saw up to 200 police officers not that i could see with weapons drawns, but they certainly have those weapons drawn inside martin place as well. we did hear from the police france that contact has been made with the hostage taker, and it's continuing to be made with him as well. there is some negotiation under way, but we don't know the exact nature of that. as i keep on repeating we don't know if there is one hostage maker, whether there might be more ruled in or out, and nor do we know how many people are doing inside this calfify. >> michael: we saw five people leaving the building, although we don't know if they were freed, released or managed to escape. that reflects the on the geography in sydney. the

phil mercer in sydney. a reporter for channel 7 news was at the scene, because their offices actually overlook that cafe. he told me what he could see. >> the cafe next door to the one that has become the center of the siege situation. we saw it around quarter to 10:00 this morning. all the activity breaking out around the cafe. everyone went closer for a look. the police were quickly there and pushed us all back. it wasn't until we saw the hostages up against the windows that we realized just how serious this was, and when we saw the now famous black flag being held up by one of the hostages with arabic writing on the front that it took far more severe and serious turn. at that point, the police effectively evacuated our building. we live in a glass fish bowl of a newsroom that looks out over the martin place in front of us, and they decided it was simply too unsafe to allow staff to stay there, so the 200 or so of us were evacuated as were many of the people surrounding, either taken out of the buildings

this day it was sydney, australia. a 16-hour hostage siege, a lone gunman holding 17 people inside a chocolate shop. the tenls stand-off. they stormed in, killing the gunman and ended the siege but not before two of the hostages were killed. the chocolate shop is located in the krermt of the financial district stems from parliament and the american consulate. many people were there for their morning coffee, shoppers and pedestrians were there at the height of the shopping season. the australian prime minister spoke to his stunned countrymen. >> there is nothing more australian than dropping in at the local cafe for a morning coffee and it is tragic beyond words that people going about their everyday business should have been caught up in such a horrific incident. >> throughout the day and night, hostages could be seen with their hands pressed to the shop window. some did he is came. others used cell phones to make calls and post social media. developing late tonight, new york city is now on a higher state of alert. the

sydney united in sorrow.this will not impact now they live their lives. they will live how they always have. prime minister tony abbott paying tribute to the sydney generosity. >> united in strength and grief this morning. andrew stevens for us in sydney. thank you. >> joining us from phone is luke macavoy. he was in the lockdown shown where the hostages were being held. thanks so much for joining us. i know this is a trying, trying couple of days for your city and for your country. tell me a little bit about your experience and what's happening right now. we can see the mound of flowers there. we see the city is trying to move forward. it has been a dramatic couple of days. >> good morning. it certainly has. you know, you spoke about the mounds of flowers. it is a living tribute to the people of sydney. that freedom and way of life we are used to. martin place is where the finance at district is based. it is also where we gather to remember our war dead. it is a symbolic area. those flowers have been laid ro

we were hoping for a peaceful resolution to the sydney siege.ortunately and tragically it was not to be. according to local news channel 7, of the two that are dead, one is the hostage taker and another is reportedly a hostage that gunman shot. we're also hearing that instead of just three seriously injured, there are a parentally five that have been wounded in the shoot-out. just to give you a little more detail on who exactly this gunman was, it was an iranian refugee, haron, known as sheikh haron, he was known to the police, on official's radars last year. sentenced to 300 hours of community service for writing hate mail, offensive letters to families of eight soldiers killed in afghanistan. they were obviously over there supporting the united states campaign there. he was also charged later with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife and earlier this year, he was charged with sexual assault that occurred back in 2002 and he's been out on bail on the charges. this is a guy with a record. his former lawyer spoke to abc in australia an

>> -- has happened in sydney?s is the first incident in sydney, it has put the entire city into lockdown. there are frightened people on the street but the police are doing their best to keep them calm. at one point there were a number of parcels and the upper house was evacuated, a rare event. that was done as a precaution, there was nothing wrong it. but at the parliament, two locks up, that has been lockdown -- blocks up, that has been locked down. september we had involving 700ids police officers but this is the first event like this in sydney. >> all right, lucy carter, thank you for that. more on the hostage standoff. will be back in a short moment. ♪ >> just getting updated on what is going on in sydney. the images are coming through and we have been hearing from the commissioner of police saying that the city will operate normally. there is no idea as to the motivation of the gunman and it is looking likely that there is a single gunman. it'd said it was at least one gunman and they are treating this whole

the business and financial hub of sydney. many office workers forced to stay behind their desk because they were so close to the lindt cafe. among those people there was joshua acton, and he spoke to the bbc earlier. >> it was really quite surreal going for my morning coffee and cigarettes, and at that exact moment, police motorcycles turned up and police cars swung by, and policemen were screaming at everybody to get in the building and to clear the area immediately. i had no idea what was going on. nobody did. we went upstairs to my computer and had a look on the internet, and that's when i found out it was a hostage situation. >> and how quickly did the police arrive? in your opinion, joshua, was the police response swift and professional given the events of the last few hours? >> absolutely. after looking at the news items now, and seeing when it actually occurred, this was before 10:00, they were on the scene very quickly. the office was in lockdown. and we were there for some hours. >> and what was it like when you were

sydney's seem was a lone gunman with a shotgun.f one lop gunman is our september 11th, that speaks frightened. >> when things happened. it's a quick rush to judge it as an islamic terrorist act. if someone goes up and shoots up a sun ma in the united states no one calls it terrorism. but for some reason, unfortunately the narrative has been that the religion comes into play if it's someone from on islamic background if the actions from that person has nothing to do with this man. >> the u.s. media was reporting on the seem in sydney, there was a far greater shooting happening within the u.s., where a gunman killed five people and was on the loose. all the national media in the united states focussed on sydney, even though the crime as smaller and distance far greater. the media's role is to report responsibly. >> you notice how they describe him as a self-proclaimed cleric. >> what is that? what does that mean. he's a fake. he's not a cleric. he's a fake. he just goes around with this head gear, and a robe, and, you know, he has a

the sydney opera house is close to the sydney harbour area. those that saw what happened have been talking. this man didn't want to be identified and described what he saw as he passed the door to the cafe while he was making a delivery. >> when i first ran into the building a lady was staring, knocking on the doors. i did three loads upstairs into the lindt building, on the third run i wondered what her problem was, why she didn't go somewhere else, and obviously the gunman or the alleged offender opened a bag up and revealed a gun and she ran down the stairs saying "gun, gun, gun, gun in the blue bag", i saw the gun, yes. he was tall, probably late 40s. had a long-seized white shirt on. he was calm. he was pacing, looking out into the lift well. and i could see people and customers sitting at the tables. they were still drinking. i'm not sure how alert they were to what was going on, what was going to unfold. >> the australian prime minister tony abbott made a statement providing an update as to what is going on. >> this is a very disturbing

sydney siege.lice and a gun man in the city's financial district enters its 10th hour. we will bring you all the latest on the story as that develops. abe's election landslide. shinzo abe celebrates as the ruling coalition gains more than two thirds of the seats in the lower. the lowest turnout in the postwar era does show signs of disillusionment. oil at $60 a barrel. the united arab emirates says opec won't cut output even if prices plummet to $40. the stare down between opec and shale production continues. i'm looking at futures markets. euro stoxx future is pretty much dead flat. dax futures, about 0.1% higher. let's get straight to the market open. >> we have had technical issues in terms of futures markets in europe, so that has discombobulated some of the market opens. you are looking lower in london, down 0.4%. global equities lost $1.2 trillion in value. that momentum continues this morning. volatility rose. yields on treasuries also rose.

here in sydney.

very busy area in downtown sydney.you so much. >> you bet. >> keep it right here on "newsnation." we'll be right back. y tuned... pen. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on select new volkswagen models. emma, it's simple, when you are in a place like this, the best way to capture the moment is to feel it, even if you can't see it. you pay your auto insurance premium every month on the dot. you're like the poster child for paying on time. and then one day you tap the bumper of a station wagon. no big deal... until your insurance company jacks up your rates. you freak out. what good is having insurance if you get punished for using it? hey insurance companies, news flash. nobody's perfect. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. we used to have so many emptymom!ls! that's why we switched to charmin ultra mega roll. charmin ultra mega roll is 75% m

jose. >> nbc's sara james in sydney. over at the white house, we're told president obama is being updated on the situation in sydney and the u.s. government has offered help to australia if needed. nbc's kristen welker. what are officials telling you? >> president obama was briefed overnight by his counterterrorism adviser lisa monaco. top officials here in contact with their counterparts in australia. they continue to offer what assistance authorities might need as this hostage situation unfolds. according to a state department official the u.s. consulate general in sydney has been e evacuate evacuated. apparently all u.s. personnel have been accounted for. a strong warning from the state department. two u.s. citizens in the area warning them to stay away at this time while they continue to deal with this ongoing situation. as for president obama later today, he's going to head to new jersey. he's going to speak to troops. thank them for their service. it is possible jose we could hear the president address the situatio

it's a few hundred meters from sydney's sydney opera house, the harbour, the shops, essential areas. the police have been updating the media every hour or two with a little bit of information. they have, for example, confirmed that five people got out of that cafe, whether they escaped or were released, nor would they say how many were held in the cafe or how many hostage takers there might be. mostly they talked. certainly the prime minister, when he talked about an armed hostage taker, he talked about it in the singular. we have not had it confirm that there is only one. police are keen to say they have the situation contained. they are confident they have it under control. and are determined to bring this to a peaceful resolution, however long it ends up taking. >> right, an ex-close zone has been -- exclusion zone has been set up. australian authorities told people and workers in the area to go on with the normal day tomorrow, in a few hours, suggesting that this could go on for a long time. >> it absolutely does. i found that interesting as part of mike baird, the premier's stat

and we'll have an update on the ongoing hostage situation in sydney, australia. stay with us. >> it's a chilling and draconian sentence... it simply cannot stand. >> this trial was a sham... >> they are truth seekers... >> all they really wanna do is find out what's happening, so they can tell people... >> governments around the world all united to condemn this... >> as you can see, it's still a very much volatile situation... >> the government is prepared to carry out mass array... >> if you want free press in the new democracy, let the journalists live. >> welcome back. we want to update you on the breaking news out of sydney australia. there is a hostage situation. a gunman took several hostages inside a lindt chocolate shop. witnesses say a black and white flag with arabic writing is on display in the cafe. buildings have been evacuated as well as the u.s. cons alat. the police commissioner of new south wales gave this update about an hour ago. >> we have an armed defender in premises holding an undisclosed number of hostages in the city in the martin place a

andrew thomas is live for us in sydney he. you have been reporting on this hostage crisis since it started. what's the latest at this late hour in sydney, australia? >> well, it was almost 14 hours ago now that this siege situation began in martin place approximate, a central city square 150 meters from where i'm stood just down that road on the left-hand side by those traffic lights. this cafe is in that square. it's a major threw fair in the middle of sydney. it's got a number of shops and office blocks. it couldn't be a more how profile place. let me run you through the facts we do know, because they are few and far between. there is at least one armed men in that cafe holding a number of hostages. police in various press conferences over the course of monday have not revealed exactly how many hostages are head, although we believe the number is lower than 30 and potentially more than five or six, so somewhere in that kind of range. we also know that the hostage taker has tried -- is in negotiations with a police negotiator

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 wales police say the siege is over. we saw more hostages emerging from the cafe where they had been held all day and after that police stormed the cafe and we heard from where i am standing loud gunshots ringing through the air here in sydney and that's when a number of ambulance ambulances started passing by where i'm standing and the situation had been rapidly unfolding ever since then. still seeking to confirm details of how many people may have been injured or killed. a lot of the issue had been all day

in sydney right now. they were really concerned, though, about the news media airing these social immediamedi from the hostages. explain their concerns and why most of the international news media accepted the police's requests. >> this has been a standard operating procedure for as long as i have known. when you have somebody holding hostages issue the police want to be the only negotiator. they don't want this person getting a bigger sense of themselves of reaching out with a bigger message and getting pressure from the outside. they want one-on-one negotiations cutting off the lines of communications, getting news agencies to agree to that was helpful in the situation as it almost always is. >> tom foreman monitoring the social media aspect of this crisis for 16 hours. plus only how we're beginning to learn details. we're standing by for a news conference from law enforcement who are going to explain what they can about what happened, how this operation went down. australia may be isolated on a contine

tho -- sydney. police have not been confirming that at all. 6 hours into the crisis three people were seen running from the cafe. another hour later two more came out. apparently they weren't released but they were fleeing. we could see that the hostage taker was upset about that. we heard that from an eyewitness. it has been a huge police effort. here is a little bit of what the commissioner had to say a short while ago there. >> their only goal tonight and for as long as this takes is to get those people that are currently caught in that building out of that safely. that remains our number one priority and nothing will change. >> police say they have been in contact with the man there has been an isis flag requested by the man also a reading of tony abbott of traus yale yaustralia. he has been on tv as well. he has been saying he has been in touch with president obama also homeland security department of the united states has been briefed. the u.s. consulate is on the phone there and there is a li

we'll zoom in on sydney, to show where it is going on. it's the lindt cafe, located at the end of martin place, next door, the rank of australia bang opposite it. the cafe, bang opposite. the tv studios for channel 7, the aussie network. the parliament evacuated and the supreme court building nearby, and andrew thomas, we'll join him in a second, telling us it's about 200 yards from the sydney opera house. i don't imagine there's a great deal more to say than you told us 25-30 minutes ago. but it is going into the night time now. it will be interesting to get a recap of what you think the main points are this hour. >> it's half past nine at night. it was almost 12 hours ago that the siege began. people were making their way to work. this a cafe, o coffee shop, would have been at its busiest in the midmorning rush at 9:45. you are right, the information from the police is very, very limited. they are cagey about what they are saying. they are doing updates for the media. they are, frankly, more stonewalling questions than they are answerin

terror in sydney on a midsummer's night. what sounds like gunfire.st 10 minutes later, australian commandos stormed in. this is the entire raid. it takes just 30 seconds. but there was a cost. at least two hostages killed, a man and a woman in their 30's. >> this morning, i come before you with the heaviest of hearts. unbelievably overnight, we have lost some of our own in an attack we never thought we would see in our city. in the past 24 hours, the city has been changed by a tragedy that none of us could have ever imagined. >> got to move! that startedrama 16 hours earlier. >> let's go! >> australia's biggest city under lockdown as hundreds of armed police swarmed the town center. even thele fled, tiniest being lifted out of the danger zone. the gunmen had walked into the lindt cafÉ shortly after 9:30. office workers who have been grabbing coffee found themselves held at gunpoint, some forced to stand for several hours. others were forced to hold up a black flag, the muslim declaration of state. this is the gunman in the black bandanna, 50-year-old

eastern time, almost 3:00 in the morning sydney time, after 16 hours, police in sydney saying the sydneymore details to follow. we are getting reports of two dead, three injured, although channel 7, mandy, saying they cannot confirm, in fact, two people have died at this stage. >> we don't know the fate of the gunman and whether or not if it is true, whether or not one of those is gottenman. i'm watching the breaking news here, carl and simon, from 7 news, the local outlet, saying that the two, the reports were that the two that died, were of cardiac arrest. oh. okay. we're getting more news. 7 news is reporting that the gunman shot one of the hostages. this would gel with some of the earlier reports we were getting. unconfirmed, guys, that there was a shot fired inside the cafe before the police stormed in. so once again, 7 news is saying there are reports that the gunman shot one of the hostages. >> okay. and with that, that does add one more details to this horrific story. the reports the bomb disposal unit is inside the cafe. which i -- it's hard to read into these situations, mandy,

tuesday in sydney, australia.ge standoff that just wrapped up this morning in a tense five-minute fire fight. we should get new information from the police on exactly what the fallout was there, how many wounded, how many potentially dead, and what happened to that lone gunman. what we know at this point is there was a 16-hour saga in which that gunman held people hostage inside lindt cafe. that's right in the bustling heart of the city, martin place mall. we're getting new information about how things played out there. at this hour, a few facts we do know. we know a number of hostages escaped over the course of the siege, including a group i think we have footage of them breaking out of that setti inting throug side door. 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

in sydney. police have identified this hostage taker, he's named man haron moniz, a self-proclaimed sheik haron. in 2007 he was convicted of writing offensive letters to the families of soldiers who died while fighting in afghanistan. he has been fighting those charges all the way up until last year and he has been convicted on those letter-writing charges but is currently on bail on two other very separate serious charges. the first he is accused of being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife and the second he's charged with sexual assault related offenses which are related to the services he claims to provide as a self-proclaimed spiritual healer. so certainly very well known to police and the media here in australia and this is all unfolding in terms of the identity in terms of this hostage taker as we speak. >> how many people are still inside the cafe, do we know? kathy, can you still hear me? all right, we've lost kathy novak. but we understand it's less than 20 people still being held

here in sydney.the commissioner would also not confirm whether or not those five had managed to get out of the building escaped or whether or not they were released by hostages. and wouldn't detail any other nuts and bolts information for obvious reasons. take a listen to some of what the police commissioner had to say. >> i'm sure there are many questions that you might have for us. and i'm not going to necessarily be in a position the give you that information because i will not be going into the tactics or the strategies that we're employing suffice to say that we have large numbers of police. they are in contact and we're working to resolve this just as quickly as we possibly can. >> reporter: the police commissioner also saying he wouldn't be speculating on the motives behind the incident, but we do know that a number of hostages from within that building have been contacting local media outlets here in australia. and also posting some of the demands of the hostage taker on social media. they sa

sydney is coming back to life.sort of early morning here now, but it's still very, very quiet and a very sad scene here outside the courthouse where the families are. >> what do we know about the conditions of those hostages? >> reporter: it's understood that three people have died, including the gunman. there are a number of other people in critical condition at various hospitals in sydney. we haven't gotten exact details on how many people are in critical or stable condition, but that information will be revealed in about 15 minutes when the police commissioner and premier will do a press conference. >> well, we will be watching those answers they give in the press conference closely. freya noble, thank you for that update. there at the courthouse among the families of the hostages. >>> another striking feature of today's siege in sydney, the way it played out on social media. first up, the massive global reaction. take a look at this, that's hash tag pray for sydney trending globally with more than 60,000 tweets

that is happening in sydney. >>> there is new information about the sydney gunman and his checkered criminalt. australian officials say that man, man haron monis was out on bail for a sexual assault committed 12 years ago. he had been charged as accessory in the murder of his wife and pleaded guilty to writing cruel letters to the families of australia troops. monis should not have been on the streets according to premier mike baird. >> we are all outraged that this guy was on the streets. we are. we need to understand why it was. we need to understand why he wasn't picked up and we are working closely with the federal authorities together with their agencies to ensure what we can do better. we need to understand the circumstances here. the community has every right to feel upset. i'm incredibly upset and outraged. what we need to do is ensure everything is done to learn from this. can we do it better? >> cnn's atika shubert is live from london with the details on the gunman's checkered past. atika, perhaps this should have been a warning sign to authorities. >> reporter: exactly. he was wri

stephens church in sydney. family and friends gathered to say goodbye and to remember a life that was full of love and generosity. torrey johnson is being remembered as a hero who tried to wrench the gun from the hands of the hostage-taker. his death is one of the darkest chapters in the history of sydney. the cafe manager's family wanted today's funeral to be a celebration of life that was cut short in such tragic circumstances a week ago. as the coffin left on its final journey, it was followed by five buddhist priests, dressed in orange and saffron colored robes. they murmured prayers as it was loaded into the hearse. the other victim of the siege, katrina dawson, was a mother of three young children. she reportedly died trying to shield a pregnant friend from gunfire. the 38-year-old has been remembered as a service at the university of sydney. at martin place, the forecast of wet weather prompted volunteers to remove a huge carpet of floral tributes and cards, which have become a symbol of a city's sadness

the terrorist siege in sydney, australia. a gunman isis sympathizers and self-proclaimed cleric named man haron monis took people hostage for more than 17 hours at a cafe popular with tourist and locals. australian officials and police stormed the cafe at 2:00 a.m. local time, killing the gunman. at least two hostages were also killed during the rescue attempted, four others wounded. what do australian and american officials know about the hostage-taker? atika shubert has been digging into his background and joins me now live from london. atika? >> reporter: this is a man with a very wrong rap sheet. he was even accused of being somehow involved with the murder of his former wife. and he was released on bail because the judge said he was not a threat to society. and of course that is now being called into question. long before he walked into the sydney chocolate shop with a gun, 50-year-old man haron monis was well-known to australian police. various reports put his age at 49 or 50, originally from iran. he settled in austral

very poignant scenes, sad scenes here in sydney.ue now has thinned out a lot, john. this will continue for another day at least, as more and more sydney people come to show the solidarity there. >> it's heartbreaking to see some of those note, andrew, but it's important for the city to show its grief and strength together. thanks so much. >>> let's take a look at what's coming up on "new day." alisyn camerota joins us. >> good morning. we're following that big development overnight in the sony hacking story. a major theater chain decides not to run the controversial new movie. and the new york premiere of that film called "the interview" has been cancelled after hackers threaten to attack moviegoers. how serious is this let? i'll tell you what you need to know. >>> and pakistan preparing for the grim task of burying the victims of that horrible massacre. the lives of more than 132 children. this is the worst attack in pakistan. what will change today as a result? we're talking exclusively with the former president of pakistan perez

andrew's anglican cathedral in sydney.ers and well wishers are piling flowers and cards and cameron price has more. >> reporter: the queue shows no sign of slowing. they waited 45 minutes to an hour all day today to get in to lay flowers. perhaps a message on a card or lindt chocks. it was 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 min