Sydney: A man holding hostages in a Sydney cafe on Monday has demanded that a flag of the Daesh group be delivered to him and warned that four bombs have been planted around the city, a report said.
A major square in the heart of the Australian city is in lockdown with hundreds of armed police surrounding the Lindt chocolate cafe, where a flag - black with white Arabic writing - was held to a window by customers.
The flag says: "There is no god but Allah; Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah."
This screengrab taken from the Australian Channel Seven broadcast shows presumed hostages holding up a flag with Arabic writing inside a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on December 15, 2014.
Channel Ten said it had spoken to two of the hostages inside the cafe and the man holding them had made a series of demands.
"Our #TenNews team have spoken directly to 2 hostages inside the cafi... They are confirming 2 demands from the perpetrator," the network tweeted.
A police officer runs across Martin Place near Lindt cafe, where hostages are being held, in central Sydney December 15, 2014.
"He needs the [Daesh] flag to be directly delivered to the cafe; And his 2nd request is to speak to the Prime Minster. They also state there are 4 bombs... two inside the Lindt cafi at Martin Place - and two further in the Sydney CBD. [sic]"
Police, however, will not comment on reports that lights in the Sydney cafe have been turned off even as New South Wales Premier Mike Baird expressed confidence in police handling of the hostage crisis.
Meanwhile, more than 40 Australian Muslim grups have condemned the Sydney cafe siege, even as Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione warned against reprisal attacks on Muslims or others as a result of the siege.
Five hostages escape
Five people have so far fled the cafe, three men some six hours into the siege and two women about an hour later.
An Indian national who works for Infosys was among the hostages. "We can confirm that one Infosys employee is among the hostages at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney," the company said in a statement without naming the person.
A hostage runs towards a police officer outside Lindt cafe, where other hostages are being held, in Martin Place in central Sydney on December 15, 2014.
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.
New South Wales police deputy commissioner Catherine Burn said that police negotiators "have had contact and continue to have contact" with the person holding the hostages.
Earlier on Monday, the hostages were seen standing with their hands up at the windows of the cafe in Martin Place, Sydney.
Hands are pressed up against the window of the Lindt cafe, where hostages are being held, in this still image taken from video from Australia's Seven Network on December 15, 2014.
Reports said anywhere between a dozen and 50 people were in the Lindt cafe, although police said they did not yet have a precise figure on how many hostages were taken. Several people inside the cafe were seen with their arms in the air.
Police responded to the siege by blocking off the area, which was crowded with families and children. The local railway station was shut down but flights from the Sydney Airport were unaffected.
Evacuations
Many buildings in the locality, including the Opera House, New South Wales parliamentary executive offices, the state library and the Indian Consulate, were evacuated.
Armed police evacuate employees from the offices next to a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on December 15, 2014.
"Police are dealing with an armed incident and specialist officers are attempting to make contact with those inside a cafe," New South Wales state police said in a statement.
The nearby Sydney Opera House was also cleared by police, apparently over a suspicious package. It was not clear if the two incidents were related.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott convened a national security meeting to deal with the "disturbing" developments, suggesting only one person was responsible for the Lindt cafe incident.
"We don't yet know the motivation of the perpetrator, we don't know whether this is politically motivated although obviously there are some indications that it could be," he said. "The whole point of politically motivated violence is to scare people out of being themselves."
Australian Muslim groups condemn siege
More than 40 Australian Muslim groups condemned the siege. "We reject any attempt to take the innocent life of any human being or to instil fear and terror into their hearts," they said in a statement.
The black flag shown at a window in the Lindt cafe was one commonly used by jihadist groups bearing the shahada, or profession of faith in Islam. The Muslim groups said the inscription "is not representative of a political statement, but reaffirms a testimony of faith that has been misappropriated by misguided individuals that represent no-one but themselves".
"Any such despicable act only serves to play into the agendas of those who seek to destroy the goodwill of the people of Australia and to further damage and ridicule the religion of Islam and Australian Muslims throughout this country," it added. "Our immediate thoughts go to the hostages and their loved ones. We pray for their safety and hope this matter is resolved quickly and peacefully."
Religious leaders across Australia on Monday called on their followers to unite and pray for a peaceful end to the Sydney siege.
Mosques, synagogues and churches across the country welcomed worshippers on Monday night, in what their leaders said was a show of community solidarity.
"In times of great adversity it is imperative that we remain calm, united and stand together," Lebanese Muslim Association president Samier Dandan said.