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2014 Sydney hostage crisis
Police blocking street near cafe with hostages
Location	Martin Place, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	33°52′05″S 151°12′40″E / 33.86796°S 151.21113°E / -33.86796; 151.21113
Date	15 December 2014 (2014-12-15) 9:44 a.m. – ongoing (AEDT UTC+11)
Target	Cafe staff and customers
Attack type	Hostage-taking, bomb threats
Weapons	Shotgun
Victims	Around 10 hostages remaining 5 hostages escaped
Perpetrators	One unidentified man
Motive	Islamic terrorismCite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).

The 2014 Sydney hostage crisis is occurring on 15 December 2014 in Sydney, Australia. A lone gunman entered a Lindt chocolate cafe located at Martin Place and is currently holding employees and customers inside hostage. Five of the hostages have escaped, while around ten remain inside the building.

Hostages were seen holding up a flag with the Arabic shahādah. The exact motive for the incident is currently unknown.

Event

The crisis began at the Lindt Chocolate Café in 53 Martin Place, Sydney, at 9:44 a.m. AEDT. Hostages were seen holding up a jihadist black flag with the Arabic shahādah "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of God". The flag was initially mistaken as a flag for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in news reports. One of the hostages was reportedly being used as a human shield by the gunman, who was later described as bearded, wearing a white shirt and a black kerchief, and armed with a shotgun. Prior to the siege, the automatic sliding doors of the cafe were disabled.

According to Sydney 2GB radio announcer Ray Hadley, the gunman demanded to speak to the Prime Minister live on radio, although these reports are unconfirmed. There were also further alleged reports that the gunman stated that there were four "devices" located around Sydney. However, New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione stated that none of the alleged "devices" were found during the investigations. Two female hostages have made contact with media outlets and relayed the gunman's demands to them, but the New South Wales Police Force has requested that the demands not be published.

Burn confirmed that around 3:37 p.m., two hostages emerged from the front entrance of the building, followed by a third hostage, an employee, who ran out from a fire exit at the side of the building. Media outlets advised that the hostages were not released, but escaped, though details were not immediately available. It was later confirmed by police that all three hostages escaped. At around 4:58 p.m., two female hostages, both employees, ran from another entrance of the building, having also escaped, and were met by officers with the Tactical Operations Unit.

Hostages

An exact number of hostages is currently unclear. It was initially estimated that there were 13 people inside. However, other sources initially gave estimates as high as 50, while New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said in an afternoon press conference that a police estimate of the number of hostages was less than 30. Subsequent to the debriefing of the escaped hostages, authorities advised that no more than 10 hostages remained inside the cafe.

The Associated Press reported that one of the escaped hostages, a male, was hospitalized and in satisfactory condition, but no further details were released.

Effects

Transportation

Trains were not stopping at Martin Place railway station due to the hostage situation and passengers were permitted to use their tickets across Sydney buses and ferries due to the operation. Transport New South Wales advised people to stay away from the CBD. Road closures also occurred. There is no southbound access to the Cahill Expressway, York Street, or Harbour Street. There is no northbound access to the Cahill Expressway, and all traffic is being diverted to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. Northbound traffic on the Western Distributor is being diverted over Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Uber Sydney's automatic pricing led to people leaving the city being charged a minimum of $100 during the seige. After public outcry, Uber announced on its Twitter profile that trips from Sydney's central business district "will be free for riders"; however, surge pricing into the CBD was retained to attract drivers.

Evacuations and closures

Immediately after the siege began, people found above the cafe were evacuated by ladder. The Sydney Opera House was evacuated after a suspicious package was found. The U.S. Consulate General in Sydney, located in Martin Place, was also evacuated.

Police advised people in the area bounded by Hunter, George, Elizabeth, and Macquarie Streets, bordering Martin Place, to remain indoors and away from windows. Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group have closed their CBD branches for today. The State Library of New South Wales has also closed its doors. Numerous other buildings, including David Jones Limited stores, executive offices for the New South Wales Parliament, criminal courts for the New South Wales Supreme Court, the Downing Centre, and "several city legal chambers" have been evacuated. The facilities of the Seven Network, which is situated directly across from the cafe, are under lockdown.

Some Sydney schools were put in "white level lockout" due to the hostage crisis, which means that no school group may leave the school grounds.

Arrests

No related arrests have been made. At least one man was arrested near Martin Place on suspicion of carrying a handgun. However, officials at the New South Wales Police Force stated that the arrest was not related to the hostage crisis.

Reactions

Australian government

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott convened the National Security Committee of Cabinet to give briefings on the situation. Abbott made a public statement reassuring Australians, stating, "Australians should be reassured that our law enforcement and security agencies are well trained and equipped and are responding in a thorough and professional manner." He later said, "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."

New South Wales Premier Mike Baird addressed the media, stating "We are being tested today... in Sydney. The police are being tested, the public is being tested, but whatever the test we will face it head on and we will remain a strong democratic, civil society. I have full confidence in the Police Commissioner and the incredible work of the NSW police force."

Muslim organizations

Sanier Dandan, the president of the Lebanese Muslim Association, informed ABC News that Australian Muslim leaders were meeting online for discussions on how the Muslim community could help with the crisis. He also added that it was not known if the perpetrator or perpetrators were linked to the Australian Muslim community, saying, "Regardless we have a hostage situation. Whether he is someone who belongs to the Australian Muslim community or not, we are still waiting for information to be provided by police and based on that if there's something the Muslim community can do or assist, we are there." Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, the Grand Mufti of Australia, also condemned the incident in a released statement.

International

Canadadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his thoughts and prayers in a short Twitter message. A spokesman for the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird, also said, "We urge all Canadians in Sydney to use extra precaution and limit their movements as authorities handle this situation. We have offered Australia any assistance Canada can provide."

The Israeli embassy in Australia stated that they stand together with Australia in the face of terror and are closely monitoring the situation. A statement released by the embassy read, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent people held hostage in Sydney."

World leaders including United States President Barack Obama were briefed on the event. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and UK Prime Minister David Cameron also expressed their concern about the siege.

References

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2. ^ WRAL. "5 people escape Sydney cafe in hostage crisis". WRAL.com. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
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39. "Israeli embassy in Australia closely following hostage crisis at Sydney cafe." Jerusalem Post. 15 December, 2014.
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41. "Sydney incident disturbing: PM Modi". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
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43. "David Cameron on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 15 December 2014.

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