Five hostages run out of Sydney siege cafe

SYDNEY, Dec 15, 2014 (AFP) - Five people fled a central Sydney cafe Monday where a gunman is holding terrified hostages after displaying an Islamic flag at the window, triggering a lockdown in an area home to government and corporate headquarters.

“We do not have information to suggest that anyone is harmed at this stage,” she said, adding that the number of hostages “is not as high as 30” as some reports had suggested.