Sydney Hostage Situation: Live Updates

Hostages are being held inside a chocolate shop in Sydney, Australia.

3rd & 7 37yd

"Our only goal tonight and for as long as this takes is to get those people...out of there safely," Commissioner Andrew Scipione said.

by Alyssa Newcomb 12/15/2014 9:24:06 AM
Commissioner Scipione's message to the hostages inside the Lindt cafe: "Rest assured, we are doing all we can to set you free."

by Alyssa Newcomb 12/15/2014 9:25:26 AM
Commissioner Scipione: "I understand that no one has been injured and for that, if it is true, we are grateful."

by Alyssa Newcomb 12/15/2014 9:25:47 AM
Scipione: "We won’t get into the details about who is in there, how many are in there.” He also won’t say whether the five hostages were released or managed to escape.

He won’t discuss a possible motive.

“We’re not in the business of speculating, we’re in the business of investigating,” he said.

by Alyssa Newcomb 12/15/2014 9:29:07 AM
The hostage who left the cafe today received treatment at the hospital for a pre-existing condition, Scipione said.

by Alyssa Newcomb 12/15/2014 9:30:15 AM
"We're not going to talk about numbers,” Scipione said.

Here are the numbers we do know:

-Fewer than 30 hostages were believed to be inside the café at the time of the siege.

-Five hostages have left the café.

by Alyssa Newcomb 12/15/2014 9:36:30 AM
It's 9:15 pm on Monday in Sydney.

Authorities are encouraging people to go about business as usual tomorrow morning. There will still be an exclusion zone around Martin Place. People who work within the zone will be asked to stay away from their offices.

by Alyssa Newcomb 12/15/2014 10:15:59 AM
Ray Hadley, a host on 2GB radio, says he received calls from a hostage while inside the café.

“He was obviously agitated. He was a young man… scared and I could hear the hostage taker in the back ground issuing instructions to him on what to request me to say on air.”

Hadley said he spoke to one hostage four times before the police negotiators took over.

“He phoned the open line but I thought it was prudent not to put him to air, so I spoke to him off air,” he said. “I was aware of the situation and did not want to put anyone at risk.”

by Alyssa Newcomb 12/15/2014 10:25:26 AM
It's been 12 hours since the siege on the Lindt cafe in Sydney's bustling Central Business District.

by Alyssa Newcomb 12/15/2014 10:39:07 AM
U.S. Consulate Sydney informs U.S. citizens that due to the ongoing police operation around Martin Place, the U.S. Consulate will be closed to the public on Tuesday, December 16.

by Anthony Castellano 12/15/2014 12:15:18 PM
More information about the U.S. Consulate statement: The U.S. Consulate in Australia has issued a warning for American citizens in Sydney in light of the hostage situation, which they refer to as a "security incident."

The Embassy released a statement saying that the U.S. Consulate General has been evacuated but a "small group" of staffers are working from a remote location and all employees have been accounted for.

"We are closely following the security incident in Sydney. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who are being held hostage," the statement reads.

"As Australia law enforcement officials are addressing the threat, we have advised U.S. citizens and others avoid the area around Martin Place until further notice," the statement said.

by Meghan.Keneally 12/15/2014 12:21:45 PM
Public urged to go about its business as usual - Martin Place siege police.nsw.gov.au/news/latest_re… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B45UlZjCYAAvUv9.jpg

by NSW Police via twitter 12/15/2014 12:27:58 PM
Several hostages had fled the scene, with at least a dozen people believed to have left the cafe

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 3:28:15 PM
The scene at the cafe has lasted about 17 hours as local time in Sydney is 2:32 am.

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 3:32:55 PM
Hostages emerge from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Dec. 15, 2014. (Credit: Channel 9 Australia)

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 3:36:20 PM
Armed police entered a cafe where hostages were being held at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Dec. 15, 2014. (Credit: Channel 9 Australia)

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 3:41:09 PM
A dramatic 32-second video shows armed police throwing what appears to be stun grenades, plus loud shooting and flashes of lights.

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 3:45:31 PM
According to New South Wales police, "the siege is over."

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 3:48:31 PM
Meanwhile Uber is backtracking on price hikes in place as people were fleeing Sydney. The San Francisco-based car- company is promising free rides and refunds for those people. The company was quickly criticized in a social media storm for hiking prices during the hostage crisis. Read more about that story.

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 3:52:30 PM
Hostages ran towards armed tactical response police from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2014. (Credit: Rob Griffith/AP Photo)

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 3:55:18 PM
No word yet on the whereabouts of the alleged hostage taker Man Haron Monis. Replays of the live video show medics transporting people on stretchers and armed police carrying at least one shaken woman.

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 3:59:13 PM
Video replays show medics or police performing CPR on an unknown individual on the ground.

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 4:01:46 PM
A stretcher is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2014. (Credit: Rob Griffith/AP Photo)

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 4:02:34 PM
A stretcher is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe siege at Martin Place in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2014. (Credit: Rob Griffith/AP Photo)

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 4:07:03 PM
Watch ABC News' Special Report live stream coverage of the events in Sydney.

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 4:09:40 PM
A 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, Australia, Dec. 16, 2014. (Credit: Rob Griffith/AP Photo)

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 4:19:46 PM
Here's a summary of what we know now that the hostage crisis is over: Sydney Hostage Crisis Over After Police Storm Cafe With Stun Grenades. Check back for updates.

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 4:46:34 PM
During the hostage crisis, an Australian radio host took calls from some hostages. "I could hear the hostage-taker in the background issuing instructions to him on what to request me to say on air,” Ray Hadley told ABC News. Hadley was hosting his radio show on Australia’s 2GB station when he says a hostage called in on his show’s open line. Hadley did not put the hostage on-air live -- worried about the risks -- but says he spoke to the hostage in four conversations before police negotiators took over.
More from that ABC News story here.

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 5:01:49 PM
Watch ABC News' special report with video of the standoff just as police entered the building (5 minutes, 28 seconds)

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 5:14:49 PM
The U.S. Consulate Sydney is advising U.S. citizens and others to avoid the area around Martin Place until further notice, informing U.S. citizens that the Consulate will be closed to the public on Tuesday, Dec. 16. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki says U.S. citizens in Sydney are "strongly encouraged to remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings, and monitor local news stations for updates." But no travel warning has been issued for Australia.

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 5:33:48 PM
Thanks for following our live blog. Check ABCNews.com for continuing coverage in Sydney.

by Susanna Kim 12/15/2014 5:42:00 PM