Five People Escape Australian Hostage Taker | WPN World People News

Five people have escaped from a restaurant in Sydney, Australia's central business district where a gunman is holding an undetermined number of hostages.

Live television from the scene Monday showed an employee of the Lindt Chocolate Cafe and two customers running past police who have surrounded the restaurant and sealed off the area. Later, another two people ran out of the building. It is not clear if the five were set free by the gunman or escaped on their own.

Police say nearby offices have been evacuated as a precaution. Sydney's famed Opera House several blocks away was also evacuated after officials said a suspicious package was found there. Streets in the area were cordoned off and a train line running under the restaurant was shut down.

Other hostages have been standing with their hands pushed up against the windows. A black flag with Arabic writing on it also could be seen through the glass. A Lindt executive said there were about 10 staff and "probably 30 customers" in the cafe before the operation started, but police say that number is smaller. There are no known injuries from the hostage incident, which has been ongoing for several hours.

A police spokeswoman said contact has been made by the hostage taker but negotiators have not been able to establish a motive for the crisis.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione addressed a news conference but refused to call the situation a terrorist event.

"At this stage the operational advice that I've got is we're still determining what it is that may well be the motivation and at this stage we are still not yet in the position to determine where the individual is from," said Scipione.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told a news conference earlier that no one yet knows the motivation of whoever is behind the incident. He said the point of such acts is to scare people out of being themselves, and he urged all Australians to go about their business as usual.

Abbott said law enforcement agencies are responding in a thorough and professional manner.

The cafe is located in the heart of Sydney's financial and shopping district, an area that is packed with holiday shoppers at this time of the year. The New South Wales state parliament house is just a few blocks away.

Source: Voice of America