Hostages have been held inside a cafe in central Sydney with an Islamic flag displayed against a window, according to witnesses and reports (Photo: AP)
A woman cries after laying a flower at a makeshift memorial in Sydney (Photo: AP)
Women offer flowers at a makeshift memorial in Sydney (Photo: AP)
A woman cries as she visits a makeshift memorial in Sydney (Photo: AP)
Police officers enter a building in Sydney, where three people died in a siege hours earlier (Photo: AP)
Sam Tiger right, and Abdulrahman El-Lawn perform prayers. This was their first prayer of the morning and they prayed for peace and to bring comfort upon those affected especially the hostages and their families. They both made a second prayer
An injured hostage is carried to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney (Photo: AP)
Armed tactical response officers stand ready to enter the Lindt cafe during a siege in the central business district of Sydney (Photo: AP)
Emergency response personnel, right, give treatment to an unidentified person after shots were fired and police entered the building during a cafe siege in the central business district of Sydney (Photo: AP)
In this image taken from TV a bomb disposal robot goes towards the building after shots were fired during a cafe siege in the central business district of Sydney (Photo: AP)
Armed tactical response officers enter the building after shots were fired during a cafe siege in the central business district of Sydney , Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. A flurry of loud bangs erupted as a swarm of heavily armed police stormed
An injured hostage is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. New South Wales state police would not say what was happening
A blood soaked stretcher is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe under seige at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. A flurry of loud bangs erupted as a swarm of heavily
However, latest development on the siege are that an Indian is among the people taken hostage by an armed gunman inside a Sydney café early this morning, according to the government. (Photo: AP)
"The National Security Committee has been briefed by @mikebairdMP and NSW Police Commissioner Scipione on the situation in #MartinPlace," Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott tweeted.
Several hours into the siege, police led about two dozen people out of a building opposite the cafe and through the cordon. Others were evacuated from the building above the cafe by ladder, television pictures showed. (Photo: AP)
Dozens of heavily armed police surrounded the cafe in Martin Place after the siege began around 9:45 am local time. The area is home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks and close to the New South Wales state parliament. (Photo: AP)
The cafe was directly opposite a commercial television studio and footage earlier showed several people inside the cafe standing with their hands pressed against the windows. (Photo: AP)
Australia has been on high alert after the government raised concerns that citizens who have fought alongside jihadists in Iraq and Syria could return home radicalised and capable of carrying out attacks. (Photo: AP)
Australian authorities are dealing with an "incident" at Sydney's Opera House, police said, without elaborating on whether it was related to an ongoing siege at a nearby cafe. Reports said the Opera House had been evacuated. (Photo: AP)
US consulate has also issued an emergency warning to US citizens in Sydney, urging them to "maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security". (Photo: AP)
"I can confirm for you that we have an armed defender in the premises holding an undisclosed number of hostages in the city, in the Martin Place area," New South Wales state police commissioner Andrew Scipione told a press conference. (Photo: AP)
One armed man is holding an undisclosed number of hostages in a siege in Sydney, police said on Monday, adding that it was yet to be deemed a terrorism event. (Photo: AP)
Reports say as many as 40 people are in the cafe and that there is at least one gunman, although police had no immediate comment, only confirming that an operation was underway. (Photo: AP)
Martin Place in the central business district was shut down as scores of armed police surrounded the Lindt chocolate cafe, with TV pictures showing a flag -- black with white Arabic writing -- held to a window by terrified customers (Photo: AP)