A screenshot from a TV report showing hostages holding up an Islamic flag against the window of the Lindt Cafe. Photo: Twitter.

Washington Post – A hostage siege that began Monday morning with employees and customers at a cafe being taken captive continued into the night in Sydney. Five of an unknown number of hostages ran from the building earlier and hid behind armed officers who have surrounded the Lindt Chocolat Cafe. There were no reports of injuries.

Witnesses said they saw a man with a gun walk into the cafe about 9:45 a.m. Sydney time in Martin Place, a plaza in the city center, and lock the door. Soon, local TV stations filmed people through a window with their hands raised. Two held up a black sign with Arabic writing that read, “There is no God but Allah” and “Mohammed is the messenger of God,” according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

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