There are multiple reports from Sydeny, Australia of a man with a shotgun holding hostages at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place:
Hostages reported in armed robbery situation inside café in Martin Place, Sydney – @dailytelegraph http://t.co/p7Z19DDeJ1
— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) December 14, 2014
#estápasando: @BlogsofWar A man with shotgun is holding several people hostage in #Sydney: http://t.co/nYEaz3gjij pic.twitter.com/POfDUryDXz
— Fernando Fernández (@ffdezalcaide) December 14, 2014
https://twitter.com/tomsteinfort/status/544269997745242112
And photos of the scene show what looks to be an ISIS flag:
MARTIN PLACE SIEGE: Reports there are 50 hostages inside the shop http://t.co/BhKQFTu08B pic.twitter.com/XP0F119CHN
— The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) December 14, 2014
RT @australian: Hostages holding up an Islamic flag during the Martin Place siege. pic.twitter.com/61CTNPwHRq
— Nicole Precel (@nikkprecel) December 14, 2014
Updates to follow.
Update 6:42:
The Sydney Opera House has allegedly been evacuated after the discovery of suspicious package.
— James J. Gorman (@jamesjgorman) December 14, 2014
BREAKING: REPORTS SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE HAS BEEN EVACUATED.
— Mackenzie Price (@mackenziepricee) December 14, 2014
Sydney Opera house evacuated police ambulance arriving
— TrevorCook (@tcookAU) December 14, 2014
Update 6:49:
FROM SEPT: "Police claim they were foiling alleged plan to kidnap someone in Martin Place at random" 7 News on raids http://t.co/tZ49xzqo2u
— Latika M Bourke (@latikambourke) December 14, 2014
Recommended
Police believe there may be an explosive device present in the Sydney Siege. #MartinPlace #Sydney
— Van Den Berg (@wzvdb) December 14, 2014
Update 6:52:
13 hostages inside reporting Channel Seven. #sydneysiege
— Sam (@SamDickfos) December 14, 2014
Channel 7 reporting confirmed 13 hostages.
— Farmering Dad (@DamienCWalker) December 14, 2014
Update 7:07:
Not an ISIS flag, but generic Islamic flag in the #SydneySiege. Scary world out there.
— Marla (@zoyaroses) December 15, 2014
Flag hostages holding NOT the ISIS flag but bears Islamic message.
http://t.co/CXc116fTYT#SydneySiege— Meg ✌??? (@sassybibrarian) December 15, 2014
ABC 24 reporting that it's an ISIS flag now as well. It's not an ISIS flag. #SydneySiege
— Denham Sadler (@denhamsadler) December 15, 2014
Update 7:15
Helicopters flying around opera house because they found something suspicious #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/wbodAJYsLa
— Ellen Quinn ^ɷ^ (@Ellenquinny) December 15, 2014
#sydneysiege Martin Place, Opera House and surrounding areas evacuated. Trains between Central & Bondi stopped. Sydney CBD airspace closed
— NINE NINE (@mockingejay) December 15, 2014
https://twitter.com/NZStuff/status/544284574553870336
Update 7:20:
Flag translated as, “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of God.”
https://twitter.com/sqwerin/status/544285495681753089
Correction 7:27:
Correction: Deputy Australian PM says airspace over #Sydney not closed, helicopters in the air to redirect traffic
— Matt Vespa (@mVespa1) December 15, 2014
"The Deputy Prime Minister’s office has refuted reports Sydney’s airspace is closed. The airspace over Sydney CBD is not in shut down"
— Pablo Rodríguez (@Suanzes) December 15, 2014
Update 7:30:
Hostages in Sydney cafe brandishing black Shahada flags – identical to those used by ISIS. Our rolling coverage – http://t.co/f8dSKip6Ex
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) December 14, 2014
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with additional tweets and the headline updated to reflect breaking news.