and also to have a meeting with the australian prime minister, tony abbott.e're still waiting on confirmation of exactly how many people are inside, still being held captive there. the earlier original reports were roughly around 30 people, this has been going on now for over 12 hours. again, this is taking place in sydney and there is only confirmation of one gunman inside. we understand there are political motivations here, but we don't know much more about that and whether or not he's working with anyone else. nbc news foreign correspondent ayman mohyeldin is on set with me now. that's a big calculation on whether this is someone working alone or someone working in some type of cell or larger ring and what that means to the city of sydney and what that means generally going forward. >> yeah. absolutely. and you're also talking about the affiliations the individual may have, he wants an isis flag. right now, the flag he's waving, it is essentially a black flag used by several armed militant groups over several years, different conflict zones. it doesn't hav

has the prime minister tony abbott responded to the situation? >> he has. prime minister abbott made a statement, fairly generic as you expect. he's convened his counterterrorism committee to discuss the latest, as has the premier of new south wales, which is new south wales state where sydney is based. the statement from tony abbott is pretty general, doesn't really go into detail. they, themselves, probably don't know what is going on, urging calm, allowing the police to do their job. i have seen in some of the coverage, especially on twitter, it is an amazing tool for information, and is a place where misinformation is sent out quickly, including the movement of police in the area. i'm hoping journalists and others will be a little cautious in what they tweet. >> it's important to point that out. can you tell us about the special force, the new south wales police that are on the scene? >> look, i don't know the is numbers of people that are there. they don't get released during a seem. australia has a relatively safe record of terrorism, there was one ac

tony abbott meant, i guess tony abbott knows the answer. >> thanks a lot for that.s reporting from the scene martiney, near saint square, where there is a block down of the central business district. it could be politically motivated according to tony abbott, but they are unsure at the moment and unsure of the identity of the perpetrator. let's get more from cameron price on the phone from saint martin place. can you give us an idea of the look of the scene? ofyes, on him on the corner philip and harper street, about 200 meters from the lindt cafe. we have a direct line of sight to both the front door of the cafe and also the side windows. for much of the siege, for more than three hours now, not long after police arrived, the number of heavily armed tactical officers were positioned along the side of the cafe, one of them holding a large tactical shield up against one of the windows while a number of those heavily armed officers with helmets, balaclavas, and machine guns slung over their shoulders, those officers. over the top of the tactical shield and into the ca

he also asked for a call to the prime minister, tony abbott. would imagine that it is unlikely that the prime minister is going to negotiate with an alleged terrorist, but that is the latest coming through now. -- at 5:00 p.m., so an hour ago, we did have two more hostages released. they look very terrified exiting that cafÉ. about 1.5 hours before that, we had three others escape. there are now five hostages free, but we do not know how many are still inside the cafÉ. >> remind us how this began. the is in martin place, central business district in sydney. many banks are nearby. the reserve bank of australia as well. >> absolutely. it is what you might call the heart of sydney's c.b.d. martin place runs about five and the streets are closed off. there is the reserve bank of australia, which has been in .ockdown today as well there is also a major television network, channel 7. there has been speculation that perhaps this is why that cafÉ was targeted. 9:45 mondayfÉ at morning. a lot of people coming in to get their morning coffee. apparently m

he wants an isis flag and speak directly with tony abbott, the prime minister.conference, i'm not at all clear, tiffiny, have negotiators spoken directly with him or are they speaking with him through the hostages? >> reporter: early on in the picture, we knew police did not have any direct contact with the gunman who is holding we believe more than 20 people still against their will. we know they have made contact with the gunman. police are keeping pretty tight-lipped on details obviously for operational reasons. they don't want to give too much away and jeopardize all of the good work negotiators have been doing with the gunman. we know the hostages have been able to text a message of their loved ones to let them know they are okay, but obviously it is a very difficult and a very dicey situation. >> one of the things that has transpired in the united states overnight that the five hostages managed to get out. police will not say if they escaped or just fled. we saw people just sprinting and looking terrified. tiffiny, what are your sources telling you? what a

tony abbott said it's not about religion in many of these cases. their understanding of religion is very shallow, and they don't represent the muslim communities in australia. it's not one community. it's many communities in australia. >> yeah. >> caller: i think we can do a lot more on the social level, whether that be through continuing community engagement programs, but i'm talking more intervention. people at risk can come and talk. >> okay, clark, we'll leave it there. but thank you for jumping on the line. very interesting point you raised about labeling people and how those words in fact do matter. we'll take a short break here on cnn, but still to come, how the sydney hostage situation unfolded on social media from inside that cafe. dad, i know i haven't said this often enough, but thank you. thank you mom for protecting my future. thank you for being my hero and my dad. military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa auto insurance could be one of them. if you're a current or former military member or their fami

prime minister tony abbott leads mourners after three die in the sydney cafe siege. >> the tragedy ofse times is that there are people, even in a society such as ours, who wish to do us harm. we are not immune to the politically motivated violence which has for so long stalked other countries. ♪ ♪ >>> we are getting reports that armed men have attacked a military-run school in northern pakistan. and there are reports that a number of children have died and many more are wounded. the pakistani taliban says it is a response to the ongoing military operations in the tribal areas in pakistan. we are going to speak to a journalist, joining us on the phone to tell us what you are hearing about the attack and what the situation is at that school. >> well, actually the school. [ inaudible ] and presently we don't have a picture of the situation inside. there are reports coming that perhaps. [ inaudible ] but the situation is very grim according to inside sources at least 10 children have died as a result of the attack which continued with the fighting and fighting continues for almost half an

we know that tony abbott has raised the terror alert.e the first ones to go in with the u.s. coalition against isis. they were the first nation to commit actual force, boots on the ground, sent a number of fighter jets stationed in qatar. they have taken part in raids on isis as well and because of that, the prime minister did in fact raise the security level. they've raised the security level not just in public places around the country but also in the parliament because that was mentioned as an aspirational target. the prime minister himself, according to some intelligence coming from the police, from the authorities there, was also in fact an aspirational target. this is a country which i guess has been ramping up to a point where they were expecting something. there was always this concern that somebody, maybe not directed by isis but enspired by isis or some other terror group may try to do something. there was a plot to kidnap somebody, behead them at martin place, which is what we are talking about right now and drape their body i

this is some of what tony abbott had to say. >> i just want to make a short statement on the hostage incident in martin place in sydney. new south wales police responding. they are being strongly supported by commonwealth agencies. 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 this could be. we have to appreciate that even in a society such as ours there are people who would wish to do us arm. that's why we have police and security organizations of the utmost professionalism that are ready and able to respond to our whole range of situations and contingencies including the situation that we are now seeing in sydney. the whole point of politically motivated violence is to scare people out of being themselves. australia is a peaceful, open, and generous society. nothing should ever change that. and that's why i would urge all australians today to go about their business as usual. of course if anyone does have any suspicions of untoward activity there is the national security h

tony abbott, he has such an interesting analysis. the isil death cult attracts characters just like this. >> reporter: this is just it. in his mind, he associated himself with isis for example, with isil. he pledged allegiance and he claimed on his media. at the same time, he claimed to be a muslim cleric and peace activist. he was very much of a loner in that sense. he did not have much of a following. he made ostentatious displays of chaining himself to court. he had multiple run-ins with the law. sending letters to australian families of soldiers who died in afghanistan. of course, he was charged with accessory to the murder of his former wife. this is the most remarkable one. he was released on bail and according to the judge of that case, said he was not deemed to be a threat to society. that is called into question. he had a long criminal record, but no indication he was put on a terror watch list. this is what people are now looking at. he was under increasing pressure because of the charges against him. he claimed he was bein

earlier today, the australian prime minister tony abbott hosted at least two sessions of the national security committee drawn up to convene to address this crisis, and this is what mr. abbott had to tell the australian nation. >> 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 utmost 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. >> reporter: australia has been on high alert when it comes to the threat of terrorism attacks, and the focus, the debate here in australia has been that of home grown extremists. in october, the australian parliament gave the police and the national security agencies greater powers to try to clamp down on young australian jihadis who were thinking or planning of go

and that's why i would urge all australians today to go about their business as usual. >> tony abbott there, the prime minister, of course, of australia. well, we're joined now by a senior analyst in national security at the australian strategic policy institute in canberra for us today. what was the security threat about? because we've seen a lot of concerns raised. is it this sort of action that you think that the authorities were fearing? >> i think it absolutely is. gordon corera just mentioned there's been a real ramping up of australian authorities' awareness of their response to these issues. and this was their concern, that there could be a motivated individual, if indeed this turns out to be related to some islamist extremist grouping, that an individual would carry out some kind of random act. you know, three months ago, not only did tony abbott begin vocalizing the threat as he saw it and he had been informed by his intelligence agencies about this, that there were individuals -- numbers of individuals traveling into syria and iraq from australia. and numbers of those retur

you have heard this, our viewers were around the world would not have heard from tony abbott. he was in a cabinet meeting when told about the siege. this is what he had to say in the capital canberra after the meeting. >> we don't yet know the motivation of the perpetrator. we don't know whether this is politically motivated, or obviously there are some indications that it could be. i can understand the concerns and anxieties of the australian people at a time like this. but our thoughts and prayers must, above all, go out to the individuals who are caught you will in this. i can think of almost nothing more distressing, more terrifying than to be caught up in such a situation. our hearts go out to those people. >> andrew, i can't stress strongly enough that what we are talking about at the moment is supposition, but there's a lot of people who suggested that the actions of the person holding the hostages may be down to a policy initiated by tony abbott in which he came down hard on what he believed to be suspect elements in australian society, and the australians have been al

the second demand is that he wishes to speak via phone with tony abbott. there was some discussion that he wanted to do that live on the air as well. >> that would be unlikely that that would happen. >> and ray hadley also telling us that he was speaking to the gunman by the 23-year-old hostage who was inside that cafe, and he could hear the gunman in the background. he spoke with a middle eastern ak sechbt with an australian tinge. he didn't sound very rational. he did threaten as ray described it, to dispose of hostages, which is an indication that he would be inclined to kill some hostages, but there's no indication that anybody inside that cafe has been hurt. >> i was wanting to ask him, too bad that we did have to go away from him to take the news conference, which we didn't learn very much from, but what was the demeanor of that young hostage that was being kind of the filter -- >> the go between. >> -- for this gunman. >> we've been talking about whether these three men who got out first, followed by the two women, whether they were part of this neg

liberty mutual insurance. >>> australian prime minister tony abbott is speaking now. let's take a listen. >> five other people, four hostages and a new south wales police officer have been injured. state and commonwealth agencies are investigating. understandably, there is a lot of speculation. but it will take time to clarify exactly what happened in martin place and why. what we do know is that the pepper traitor was well-known to state and commonwealth authorities. he had a long history of violent crime, infatuation are extremism and mental instability. we know that he sent offensive letters to the families of australian soldiers killed in afghanistan and was found guilty of offenses related to this. we also know that he posted graphic extremist material online. as the siege unfolded yesterday, he sought to cloak his actions with the symbolism of the isil death cult. tragically, there are people in our community ready to engage in politically motivated violence. the events in martin place also show that we are ready to deal with these people professionally and with

his demands are to speak to the australian prime minister tony abbott and as well have an isis flag brought to him. bizarre request indeed. an indication he hasn't thought this through. to give you about of background and context to the threats here in australia, there have been numerous raids in the past few months of suspected terror cells. australia heavily involved in the war on isis along with the united states. troops with the kurdish forces and fighter jets involved in the air campaign for australia. there have been threats made against australia and for those lone wolf attacks. intelligence officials, you know, foiling a number of attacks and arresting a number of suspects. they did not see this one coming. >> anna, it looks like in one picture he is wearing a backpack if that picture. tell us what we know about what kinds of threats he is making of the people inside there. a gun? a bomb? what is he saying he is going to do or what does he have that is holding them all there? >> reporter: information from authorities has been really limited. the reason being is they want to focus pu

is now reportedly demanding an isis blast and to speak with the prime minister tony abbott.hey are vowing to work through the night until all of the hostages are safe. >>> new fallout for rolling stone the magazine being challenged yet again on the uba sex as assault story. this time it's the friends of the victims using their stories using their real names for the first time. alex stock katherine and ryan duffin says rolling stone's portrayal of them is completely wrong. they told the alleged victim jackie to keep the rape to herself and not call police. the trio now says that's completely false they urged her to report the rape but she never wanted to. the stories author has apologized to at least one of the friends for the way they were portrayed. >> nearly 1,000 people in washington state fighting back against new background checks for guns. they claim the new rule goes against their rights as americans. c advocates say it's about keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and keeping people safe. >> meanwhile in texas that state could soon allow the open carry of hand g

. >> we now have a statement issued by prime minister tony abbott that reads about the securityhe national has been , tonyed for a briefing abbott issuing this statement read "the police are responding to a report of hostagetaking situation in martin's place. i have spoken with new south and have offered him all possible, will support and assistance. the national cabinet has convened for briefings on the situation. this is obviously a deeply concerning incident but all australians should be reassured that law-enforcement and security agencies are well-trained and equipped and are responding in a thorough and professional manner. we will provide regular updates as information becomes available." that statement about the siege coming from australian prime minister tony abbott. paul, this is, as we said, three early on in this siege. we are at the two hour mark your. what is the sense that yo -- here. what is the sense of the australian public? >> one of very deep concern. we are not far away from the building. shots, you can see it is being taken outside of that window. but shop you are seei

. >> that was tony abbott several hours ago.heir business as usual is leaving the downtown area and going home. >> it is what, just on 5:00 local time. many people will be trying to get out of that area. and anna coren is there. we know much of the area had already been evacuated. many people are still stuck in office buildings nearby. are they able to get out yet? >> reporter: yeah, we saw a stream of people walking past the area that is now on lockdown. and i spoke to some of them, and they said they were told to keep away from the windows in case there were any explosives or the gunman started firing. once police managed to access those buildings, they were evacuated ten at a time. but certainly, people very, you know, shaken up by what is taking place. this is just a normal monday for many people, starting the working week. 10:00. suddenly there is a siege unfolding in the heart of the city. and at a cafe, the lindt chocolate cafe where people would pick up their coffee and head up to work. certainly there were people at the

. >> the australian prime minister tony abbott made a statement providing an update as to what is going on. >> this is a very disturbing incident. it is profoundly shocking that innocent people should be held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation. obviously images have been beamed around our country and around the world. i have received messages of support from a number of international leaders and i thank them for their encouragement on this difficult day. yes, it has been a difficult day. yes, it is a day which has tested us, but so far, like australians in all sorts of situations, we have risen to the challenge >>> tony abbott the australian prime minister as we go to andrew thomas, our correspondent in sydney - close to the cordoned off area. i know you have been on the story since it started. what more can you tell us? >> well, right now, not much, frankly. the siege has been going on for a little over nine hours. this is macquarie street, one of the streets normally very busy in the middle of sydney c.b.c. certainly on a monday you'd expect it packed with people

and for a phone conversation with tony abbott.e bizarre to make those demands after holding so many hostage so many hours. that's what we know. that's the contact he's had through the hostages to the media, to local media outlets. we also know that there's been police negotiators, highly skilled, some of the best in the world, talking to this armed gunman. as you say, he walk into the cafe around 10:00 a.m. this morning. that is when he put those hostages, made them put their hands against the window. there was fear etched on their faces. clearly they were there under duress. he has a shotgun. he is carrying a backpack. we don't know what is inside the backpack. they then showed a sign which was in arabic and islamic phrase. not an isis flag. i think that's important to stress. we were much closer to the location of the cafe which is in this direction about a block in this direction. however, police moved us because of security reasons. they were concerned whether he would open fire, whether he had explosives, whether there were b

the second is that he speak with 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 holding u up white writing touching on fears of terrorism. 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 citizens to remain calm and not to jump to conclusions as the authorities work to determine a true motive. now, on top of holding the hostages, media outlets in sydney report that the gunman also claims he has two bombs inside the cafe and two others planted elsewhere in the city giving the growing indications that terrorism is involved police departments here in america including nypd are monitoring the situation closely, lauren. >> don champion right here in new york. thank you, don. >>> adam dole nick is a professor specializing in terrorism at the university in australia. he joins us by phone in indonesia. professor, good morning. >> good morning to you. >>

this is the prime minister tony abbott speaking just a few minutes ago. 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

tony abbott made the comments following memorial services of the two victims tony johnson and that karina dawson. phil mercer has more from sydney. >> reporter: gunman who brought fear and panic to the heart of sydney had a history of extremism and violence. an iranian refugee forced his hostages to hold a religious flag, but wasn't thought to be part of a broader islamist conspiracy. but it seems his actions may have stirred the hornet's nest. australian authorities say that in the past week, they've intercepted more chatter or communications between terrorist networks. >> there has been a heightened level of terrorist chatter in the aftermath of the martin place siege. that's why it's important that people remain alert and aware, as well as reassured that our police and security agencies are doing everything they humanly can to keep us safe. >> reporter: tori johnson was one of seven hostages held inside the cafe. his funeral was hold at st. 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 i

the second, gunman directing to speak with tony abbott. >> as the siege unfolded the heart of cydney's financial district went into lockdown, buildings were evacuated, at one point some of the hostages were seen holding up a black flag with white arabic writing on it, touching off fears of terrorism. >> at this stage it is certainly something we couldn't rule out. we're not tagging it at this stage. >> the flag resembles one flown by militants, with the islamic state, australia has been backing the us in its effort against the group, in iraq and syria, prime minister tony abbott is urging citizens to remain calm, and not to jump to conclusions, as authorities work to determine a true motive. don champion, cbs-3, "eyewitness news". >>> happening today, president barack obama will make a visit to our area. the president will travel to joint base motorcycle gwen-dix lakehurst in new jersey this afternoon. there, he will express his gratitude to our service members, and their families. you can stay with "eyewitness news" for coverage of the president's visit. >> well, the eagles just could

why have we been let down by tony abbott the prime minister yet again. it's simple. he wants isis flag and he wants tony abbott to ring him on live media. prettying straightforward. what else can we do? i'm begging. it was to create the sense of public anxiety. one of the problems for a hostage taker when you can see the hostage and when the police shut that off from the outside world as they would like to do is it takes away the anxiety for the public to a degree because they can't see it. it looks as if this guy was trying to get his hostages to help him keep the anxiety ramped up outside. it was a military term a false multiplier to bring social media into the equation. >> something different to see. taking advantage of social media as isis has with its own form of propaganda. tom foreman, thank you so much. up next here, hear the way australia tries to crackdown on home grown terrorists pretty unique as our travel overseas to join this group, this group that's isis. and one australian journalists whose colleague was down on the ground during the raid. hear what s

tony abbott says the hostage taker is politically motivating. >> this is a very disturbing incident. it is profoundly shocking that incident people should be held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation. here one of the hostages who escaped is taken away by police. the information escaped hostages provide may be useful to security forces who are working to get other people out safely. the new south wale's deputy commissioner confirmed that the police are negotiating with the hostage taker. >> we know that there are people being held in the building in martin place, 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 who is in the premises. >> reporter: it started during the monday morning rush hour. >> a woman was summoning police, three police had been motorcycles arrived and others on foot. she told them she'd gone go inside the cafe, and the automatic glass sliding doors that normally open and allow you in had been disabled and

tony abbott praising the police and first responders who ended sydney's deadly hostage standoff. they killed the hostage take who demanded he speak with the prime minister and who also wanted an isis flag with him as he really had this campaign of terror. in the wake of the tragedy, though, mr. abbott is speaking out against extremism. take a listen. >> i refuse to use the term islamic state and i would strongly caution anyone anywhere from using that term because that exalts a movement which has nothing to do wh any real religion and is a travesty of a true and just state. it is very wrong to identify the death cult that the individual conce concerned tried to associate himself with. it is very wrong to identify that death cult with any community or with any faith. the phrase that i like to refer to added by my friend prime minister najib of the isil death cult, it's against god. it's against religion, it's against humanity. >> meanwhile, australians are coming to terms with the loss of life here. two people died in addition to the hostage-taker. we have some information on the

tony abbott, australian prime minister's stance on isis is quite clear.strong commitment to degrading the isil group and we talk to partners about how this is best achieved." this played out in terms of military activity. 600 troops committed to the war on terror in september and eight hornets were authorized on air strikes in iraq only and my question now is how does this play out in terms of that growing footprint? will tony abbott now consider air strikes in syria and a greater footprint along with what the u.s. has deployed? >> what is the best way for the government to handle this in dealing with the media in your experience? you've been in situations like this. what's the best way for them to balance public right to know and information escaping with the fact that they do control the situation better. >> they are collaborating right now. let's say it. >> i think there's a two layer approach. the officials need media right now. press conferences are there to urge the public that they are in control. at the same time we know that the media is withhold

so tony abbott really pushing hard on this investigation. also, john, i'll step out of the frame for the moment, the scene behind me. this is just a short distance away from the lindt chocolate cafe where the assault took place and the death of two victims. and this ever-growing sea of flowers is a tribute to those victims. they've been coming here in house to for the past two days to show their solidarity, to show their respect. and to grieve together the loss of those two lives. and certainly, when you see this, it is a mark of just how sydney is pulling together in the wake of this tragedy, john. this scene is likely to continue for another 24, 48 hours at least, people tell me. in fact, there's a lot of people now talking about making this area of sydney, certainly, which would make it a permanent memorial to those two who lost their lives in that sea. >> andrew stevens for us in sydney. thanks so much. >>> some news in domestic front break overnight, president obama signed a huge $1.1 trillion spending bill that will keep the federal go

thwe heard from prime minister tony abbott earlier on. he was saying that they don't know the circumstances of this attack, but it could have been politically motivated. we're also hearing from the police commissioner saying that no one has been harmed, no one has been injured. five hostages have emerged from the building, but an unknown number still trapped inside. a more later on, stay with us. >> selling cocaine was my purpose. >> we were starving just looking for a way to succeed. >> the first time that i seen rock cocaine was 1980. >> the murder rate was sky-high. >> south of the ten freeway was kind of a no-man's land. >> he said, "ya know, we're selling it to the blacks, you go into these neighborhoods, there's no cops, you can sell to who every you want and when they start killing each other no body cares. >> i was going through like a million dollars worth of drugs just about every day. >> that's like gold! we can make a fortune. >> he was maybe the biggest guy in la. >> freeway rick was getting his dope from a very big operator.

australian prime minister tony abbott called the killedings "heart breaking, as the country is still reeling from the hostage taking earlier in the week. >> officer say this man severely beat and sexually assaulted two women who lived where he did. >> police home this image can lead them to a recent home invasion robbery. they say the suspects threatened the victim with a gun, demanding cash and designer purses. right now the pair is considered persons of interest. the female victim was not injured. >> an online matchmaking app helped identify a suspected thief in san francisco. the co-founder of a startup says a woman was caught on surveillance video in july stealing computer equipment on social media. so last week he decided to turn to the dating app tinder. >> i'm like wait a minute, if we tut it on tender, thousanding of people will see her name and know who she is. >> jackpot. with the words "i run office in s.f. $5,000 award for identifying me. they hope police will make an arrest soon. >> a police officer in san jose stepped down over what protesters callow fencive tweets. pub

. >>> the australian prime minister tony abbott has ordered a sweeping investigation after the siegest time. >> i'd like to pay tribute to katrina dawson and tori johnson and offer condolences to their friends and families. my thoughts and prayers are also with fellow hostages and everyone affected by this terrible event as we all try to come to terms with it. i'd like to thank the men and women of the new south wales police were work they have done and will continue to do so in the coming months and to the amazing people in our emergency service. all i was doing on that monday morning was going down for a quick coffee at the coffee shop after having gone to the eye doctor to have an eye checkup. i had never felt so much relief as when i turned the corner and saw the armed police waiting for me. i'm so grateful to be home with my lovely wife. we'd both like to thank the media who has remained respectful and for everyone for kindness and support. your thoughts and prayers mean a great deal. thank you very much. >> he is one of those lucky enough to escape the cafe siege in sydney. >>>

prime minister tony abbott and his wife were among the mourners to visit the crime scene. the man behind the attack, haron monis was charged with helping murder his ex-wife. hostages were seen running for their lives last night as police storld the calf pay where. the family of a woman found dead in a stairwell last year could be getting a big payout from the city. miss spaulding was missing from her hospital room for 17 days before her body was discovered. her family has filed a claim with the city for more than $2.9 million. the board of supervisors will vote on whether to settle that claim today. >> a weather alert this morning as we take a live look outside this morning. beautiful, iconic bay bridge. yet another storm headed our way. keep that umbrella handy these days. >> all lit up. eventually we'll see sunline return to the bay area. >> we'll see a little sunlight today. i don't think anybody is really complaining because you know we need rain and there is more on the way as of this afternoon. in fact, a potent front, looks like it's organizing even more every time

the arrests come a day after australian prime minister tony abbott warned of heightened terrorist chatterince the sidney cafe siege last week. police say there will be extra security in public places over the holidays. and france is also stepping up security. the government is bringing in up to 300 additional soldiers to patrol crowded shopping and tourist areas. barbara starr reports. of. >> since the sydney attack by a gunman, australia very much on the edge. >> an attack is likely. we don't know when and how an attack may come with the intent and capability ocarry out further attacks. >> reporter: the sydney gunman, the late nest a series of attacks, often by people with violent criminal backgrounds and mental illness. >> we have to consider that isis is almost a magnet for the diluted and the mentally ill to associate themselves. as soon as they put the banner of isis behind it, it has a major repercussions to the gravitas they think their actions are taken. >> security now being increased across france, after three attacks in the past three days. on saturday, a man stabbed, three pol

tony abbott saying a terror attack is likely.ome amid a sad farewell to the two victims killed in the attack on the cafe. tori johnson and katrina dawson laid to rest in separate ceremonies. survivors on hand to pay respects. dawson and johnson known as heroes. johnson trying to wrestle the gun from the shooter. dawson was shielding a pregnant friend from the gunfire. >>> a lump of coal in the forecast for holiday travelers this holiday travel week. let's get to meteorologist ivan cabrera with an early look at your weather. ivan. >> christine, for most of us, it is a rain event. the rain will be very heavy and severe weather potential and also some strong winds cause airport delays over the next 48 hours. here is the storm right now. it is just getting going across the mid section of the country. we will have the southeastern side looking at nasty thunderstorms for today and heading into wednesday. as far as temperatures, not looking too bad. 30s and 40s to the north. 70s and 80s in florida. you see the temperatures in chicago in

prime minister tony abbott and his wife laid flowers and stood in silence where the siege took place. a gunman held hostages for 16 hours yesterday. the standoffs eventually ended in a shoot-out that killed two of the hostages and the gunman. this type of lone wolf attack is what u.s. officials are trying to prevent, extremists working alone but inspired by terrorist groups like isis. >> you have to go on the offense. to do that you have to, well, deal with isis. >> experts say we're likely to see more of these types of attack, social media playing a big role. >> the baggage handlers for southwest airlines will stage a protest today at san jose international airport. off duty workers plan o do informational picketting at sjc and 15 other airports all over the country. they are claiming southwest is overworking its ply ployies by trying to squeeze more flights into its schedule. and they're upset with contract negotiations that have been going on for years now. >> shoppers will have more time than ever this year to buy those last-minute holiday gifts. for more on that and the rest of o

overnight, prime minister tony abbott addressed concerns about the gunman. >> it's pretty obvious that the perpetrator was a deeply disturbed individual, a long history of crime, a long history of mental instability and infatuation with extremism. >> two hostage fatalities. they are store manager johnson and mother of three, katrina dawson. this floral memorial is outside of the siege. cnn's andrew stevens has more. >> reporter: the memorial continues to grow. remember happened here a few short hours ago. it has been a traumatic 34 hours for sydney. there was a 16-hour siege which ended with two dead sydney residents and the gunman dying in the melee. it is shock, but also resilience here, john. the people have seen what happened last night. they lived through it because the attack actually occurred right next to one of the main television broadcasters of australia and it could train its cameras to let australians in on what was going on. a very traumatic event as i say. i have spoken to a lot of people today. they are shocked and relieved. at one stage, this could have been a religiou

sydney on thee in day that the prime minister tony abbott lays flowers where the siege at the cafe wase are learning more about the hostage standoff in sydney, let's get to juliet who has been monitoring this story for us. bring us up-to-date. >> we have seen the end to the siege early this morning. today has been a day of reflection. three people did not make it out of that 16 hour siege -- the gunman was shot -- we believe by police when they entered the just after 2:00 a.m. this morning and sadly two other people lost their lives, they were 34-year-old tory johnson -- it is believed he died a hero trying to wrestle the gun from the gunman as he started to doze off. , katrinaney barrister dawson she was shield -- killed as she tried to shield her pregnant friend. really sad news, katrina dawson and mother of three and a lawyer aged 38 and the cafe owner aged 34 who has been the owner for two years. both of them losing their lives so tragically before christmas. today sydney's martin place was a place to sign the condolence books and be some people laying flowers including tony abbott

among them, the great from the cricket world as well as the prime minister tony abbott., the bowler who bowled the fatal delivery was also here. most have huge sympathy for him. the congregation heard of a young player who was knocked down at the prime of life. >> phillip's spirit which is now part of pour game forever will act as custodian of the sport we all learn. we must cherish it, learn from it, must dig in -- we must dig in and get through. >> outside people watch add on big screens set up on the local cricket pitch. maxville has lost its most famous son. for now though people across australia are reflecting on the loss of one of the game's brightest young stars. this small community has been profoundly shocked by the death of phillip hughes. just about every young boy in this town will play cricket. for them, phil hughes was an idol. there will now be a debate about safety in the sport. most here will tell you cricket is not a dangerous game and this was a terrible freak accident. >> you can get killed crossing the road. cricket is pretty safe. it's not a contact

. >>> australia prime minister tony abbott is addressing the siege today. >> we know that he posted graphicxtremist material on line. as the siege unfolded yesterday he sought to cloak his actions with the symbolism of the isil death cult. tragically, there are people in our community ready engage in politically motivated violence. the events also show that we are ready to deal with these people professionally and with the full force of law. i want to thank the new south wales police and all the other agencies involved for their professionalism and courage. yesterday premier showed great stead fastness and sydney can be proud of their calm during what was a very difficult and testing day. australiians should be reassured by the way our law enforcement and security agencies are responded to this brush with terrorism. there is nothing more australian dropping in for coffee and no words could explain how horrific it was our heart goes tout aoutl of those who were caught up in this horrific incident. our heart goes out to the families of the two hostages who died overnight. these events do demo

. >>> the australian prime minister tony abbott has described as heartbreaking the police discovery of eight dead children in a house in the northern city of cairns. a 34-year-old woman with serious stab wounds was also found in the house. police say they do not believe a multiple killer is still at large in the community. jon donnison in sydney has been following developments. >> reporter: for police in cairns, this must be a crime scene as grim as many of them have ever seen. in this suburban house, they discovered the bodies of eight children stabbed to death. the youngest just 18 months. the oldest, 15. officers were called to the house soon after 11:00 in the morning after reports that the mother of seven of the children was badly injured. she was taken to hospital where she's being treated for stab wounds. police have not said if she's a suspect. >> we have a 34-year-old woman assisting us currently with the circumstances surrounding this tragic event that's occurred here. it will be continuing until the next day or two. >> reporter: a relative who said she was a cousin of the fa

tony abbott said the government's allegations are known but we'll see if this is politically driven. >> this is a very disturbing incident. and i can understand the concerns and anxieties of the australian people at a time like this. our thoughts and prayers above all go out to the individuals who are caught up in this. i can think of almost nothing more distressing or terrifying than to be caught up in such a situation. and our hearts go out to those people. >>> let's have a look at the australian market so far today. it is not reacting too severely to the news. also, we have the news out earlier today of a revised forecast for the size of the budget deficit, which is also affecting things in australian markets today. do head to cnbc.com for a live look at events in sydney. cnbc.com. >>> we'll have a look at the markets now. do down 0.64%. we have also had revised forecast for the budget deficit in australia, the 2006 budget is revised to $31 billion aussie dollars. nevertheless, the market is not reacting too significantly to today's news. >>> japan's prime minister security's land

our guest we want to take to you this live event happening right now, australian prime minister tony abbottre pres press conferencs tune in. >> our heart goes out to all of those caught up in this appalling incident. to all australians i extend my sympathy to the families of the two hostages who died overnight. these events do demonstrate that even country as free as open as generous and as safe as ours is vulnerable to acts of politically motivated violence. but they also remind us that australia and australians are resilient and we are ready to respond. now, i do intend to go to sydney early in the afternoon, to be further briefed by new south wales police and other security agencies. i also intend to say thank you, as best i can in person, to new south wales police officers and others involved in this appalling incident. i'll do more media then and i'll take questions at that time. when we do have a better idea of exactly what has happened. plainly there are lessons to be learned and we will thoroughly examine this incident to decide what lessons can be learned. but i do want, now, in th

even the australian prime minister, tony abbott, questioned why wasn't monis behind bars. >> reportery. and serious questions are being asked not just by the prime minister but the australian pub electric as to how monis, a man with a violent history, held extremist views and was allowed to be walking free on the streets of sydney. there is a feeling that there's been a major oversight. he's fallen through the cracks. you know, he was once on the terror list. however, he was removed in recent years because he was deemed to no longer be a threat that because of this catastrophic oversight, two innocent people are dead and the city of sydney is in mourning. >> reporter: today, reports of harrowing escapes and desperate details about the final moments of the sydney siege. >> i do feel we've lost our innocence. >> reporter: citizens of sydney attempt to replace the grim scenes with bright memorials to those who last hours were so dark. >> he's wasted two very precious lives and one of them was my friend. >> reporter: the gunman, who traumatized so many here at the lindt chocolate cafe die

tony abbott wants to know how the suspect with the long criminal background was able to get a gun license carry out the siege. at a news conference he praised the police for their quick action during the standoff. >> we do need to reflect what happened and ponder what could have been done better. i want to make it crystal clear i have great confidence in our police and security agencies and the australian people are entitled to have great confidence in our police and security agencies. this is a government which has responded very fully to the threat of terror in our country. we've responded very fully at home and abroad. >> and right now the people of sydney are coming to terms with the standoff and the deaths of two hostages. ♪ this is a memorial service at st. andrew's anglican cathedral in sydney. mourners 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 jo

tony abbott described him as being politically motivated. 16 hour hostage drama drew to a close. many australians no doubt shaken by this attack and images of terror on their doorstep. >> i understand that there were a number of gun shots that were herd which caused -- heard which caused officers to move directly to an ea, emergency action plan, and caused the crisis to be ended. >> what's not yet clear is why they suddenly felt need to end this in such a dramatic way. andrew thomas, al jazeera, sydney. >> joining us from sydney is matthew bends, a photographer, are there details available? i'm asking specifically why did police move in at the time they moved in? did they do this because of activity inside the cafe or there is also an indication there may have been shots fired inside. what are you hearing about the operation itself? >> yes, there's a lot of speculation and rumor. we've been warned not to speculate too much. what i can tell you is that yesterday the daily telegraph received calls from hostages. while the government held their guns, they were basically saying give

yes, australian prime minister tony abbott is pushing this line about making sure that everything thatan be done, will be done, to make sure this doesn't happen again. those questions you ask, most importantly, how could this have happened? when we know that the gunman lived on the fringes of extremism here in australia. he was well-known to police. he was allowed to have a gun. he had a gun license, and he was not on the terror watch list. these are the questions being asked not only by the prime minister, but by the australian media as well. but, john, i also want you to take a look behind you because this is the scene here in marketplace. not far from the lindt chalk la chock lit cafe. that floral memorial continues to grow. thousands of people -- sort of 300, 400, people have come down to spend their regards, so much, sort of giving their regards and showing their grief with what happened just two days ago. also, we've had family members and friends of the slain, tory johnson, the manager who was killed when it looks like he tackled the gunman. friends of his were here today. this

we'll go to sydney, australia to listen to the prime minister tony abbott. >> the incident and not onlyns if not hundreds of millions of people around the world have been focused on the city which has been touched by terrorism for the first time in more than 35 years. this has been an absolutely appalling and ugly incident. that's the only way of describing it. an appalling and ugly incident. our hearts go out to the families of katrina dawson and tori johnson. these were decent, good people who were going about their ordinary lives. it's about as innocent a thing as anyone can do, to go and grab a cup of coffee before the working day has fully started. dece decent, innocent people who got caught up in the sick fantasy of a deeply disturbed individual, and we've seen the consequences of this play out, to talk about operational matters should that be necessary. but if i could say on behalf of the national government and the australian people, to you deputy commissioner burn, everyone has been impressed by the speed of the new south wales police response, the thoroughness of the preparati