Sydney hostage crisis: live updates

A gunman took dozens of people hostage inside a Lindt chocolate shop and cafe in central Sydney on Monday. TV images revealed some of the hostages inside being forced to hold up a black flag similar to that of the "Islamic State" terror militia.

Dozens of heavily armed police surrounded the cafe in Martin Place, a central district that is home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the state premier's office and two of Australia's largest banks. The New South Wales state parliament is only a few blocks away.

16:49 CET: Australian police have confirmed that the seige of the Sydney cafe where several people were held hostage for more than 16 hours on Monday is over.

16:45 CET: Bomb disposal robot deployed at scene of Sydney cafe hostage-taking.

16:43 CET: The DPA news agency reports that four apparently wounded people were removed on stretchers.

16:42 CET: Video footage shows a woman being carried out of the cafe.

16:39 CET: The Associated Press reports that at least two people appear to have been injured during the hostage taking. Paramedics are on the scene.

16:31 CET: Australian police have stormed the Sydney cafe, where a man identified as an Iranian national had been holding a number of hostages for at least 17 hours. A flurry of large bangs were heard as the heavily armed police moved in. Video footage showed individuals leaving the building.

16:23 CET: News agencies report that heavily armed police have stormed the cafe after several more hostages escaped.

16:21 CET: The Associated Press reports that several more hostages have fled the cafe.

14:59 CET: The Reuters news agency quotes police as saying the hostage taker is Harun Monis, an asylum seeker from Iran. Tweets appear are posted quoting Sydney police as identifying the gunman as Sheikh Man Monis.

14:52 CET: Siege now underway for over 15 hours. New South Wales state police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says: "Our only goal tonight and for as long as it takes is to get these people that are currently caught in that building out of there safely."

Some Australians express solidarity with Muslim compatriots fearing backlash due to the hostage drama. Citizens offer to accompany people dressed in Islamic clothes. #illridewithyou trends on Twitter.

13:33 CET: The Associated Press has reported that the lights in the cafe have been turned off, and the police have donned night vision goggles.

12:06 CET: New South Wales Premier Mike Baird and Police Commissioner Scipione give a press conference. Baird praises the response of the NSW police and thanks the 40 Muslim groups who have condemned the gunman's actions. Commissioner Scipione reiterates that the number one priority is the safety of the hostages.

11:00 AM, CET: According to German news agency dpa, Australian radio host Ray Hadley says he has received calls from the hostages while on air, begging him to let them speak to the public. Hadley says he was told there are some hostages who are not well and distraught after being held for ten hours. Police have asked local media outlets not to reveal the demands being made by the gunman through the hostages' calls.

9:51 AM, CET: Deputy Police Commissioner Burn briefs reporters on the current situation in Martin Place.

8:54 AM, CET: Some alleged hostages appear to have posted the gunman's demands to social media.

8:19 AM, CET: The gunman demands an "Islamic State" flag to be personally delivered to the cafe and to speak personally to Prime Minister Abbott. He also claims to have two bombs in the cafe and two bombs elsewhere in Sydney's central business district.

7:26 AM, CET: The Australian National Imams Council condemns "this criminal act unequivocally" in a joint statement with the Grand Mufti of Australia.

7:08 AM, CET: Two more hostages, both women, are seen running from the shop's fire exit. They are probably employees, as they are both wearing Lindt aprons.

6:45 AM, CET: Mobile ride-sharing and taxi service Uber launched into damage control after implementing what is known as "surge pricing", or price hikes at peak demand in Sydney following the crisis. Outraged users called it "shameful" and a "disgrace." Uber backpedaled by offering free rides to anyone fleeing the area.

6:12 AM, CET: The police establish contact with the gunman. Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn tells the press that there are "less than 30" hostages inside, contrary to earlier reports.

5:50 AM, CET: Three men, probable hostages, are seen fleeing the shop, shouting "don't shoot! It is unclear if they have escaped or been released.

4:02 AM, CET: The NSW police hold a press conference, confirming one gunman and an unknown number of hostages. "We have moved to a footing that would be consistent with a terrorist event," Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione told reporters, though he could not confirm that the incident is officially being labeled terrorism. The police have yet to make contact with the gunman.

3:45 AM, CET: Several large banks with branches in and around Martin Place, such as the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, close their doors for the day because of the hostage crisis.

2:53 AM, CET: Prime Minister Abbott speaks to reporters, saying "we don't yet know if this is politically motivated, although there are some indications that it might be," and confirms that the work of the government will go on as usual, and that Australia remains as always an open and peaceful society.

2:30 AM, CET: Steve Loane, Lindt Australia's chief executive, makes a statement, saying 10 employees are thought to be in the cafe. The US evacuates its consulate in Sydney as a precaution.

2:19 AM, CET: Police confirm that they are dealing with an "armed offender" and specialists attempt to communicate with the people trapped inside the cafe, the number of which cannot be confirmed, although some estimates put it at around 20.

1:43 AM, CET: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott convenes Australia's National Security Committee for emergency briefings on the situation. "This is a very disturbing incident. I can understand the concerns and anxieties of the Australian people," Abbott said in Canberra.

1:35 AM, CET: New South Wales government buildings near the cafe are evacuated and closed down by the police, who have cordoned off the area.

1:16 AM, CET: The world-famous Sydney Opera House is evacuated after a suspicious package is found. It is unclear if the discovery of the package is related to the cafe hostage incident.

12: 28 AM, CET: Television footage shows two people holding a black flag with Arabic script up to the window of a Lindt chocolate shop and cafe. The script on the flag says "there is no God but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the messenger of God," a Muslim declaration of faith called the Shahada, the first of Islam's five pillars of faith. The flag is similar to the flag of the "Islamic State" jihadist group.

12:02 AM, CET: Around 10 AM in Sydney, the New South Wales police release a tweet that an operation is underway in Martin Place, part of Sydney's busy central business district (CBD), and request that everyone stay away.

es,bw,mg/pfd (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)