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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2014/dec/15/sydney-siege-reports-of-hostage-situation-inside-martin-place-cafe-live
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Sydney siege is over, say police, as hostages flee the scene – as it happened | Sydney siege is over, say police, as hostages flee the scene – as it happened |
| (30 days later) | |
| 5.43pm GMT | 5.43pm GMT |
| 17:43 | 17:43 |
| Closing summary | Closing summary |
| This liveblog is winding up now – you can follow continuing live coverage on our new liveblog here. | This liveblog is winding up now – you can follow continuing live coverage on our new liveblog here. |
| Here is what we know so far, after the Sydney siege ended with a group of hostages escaping and police storming the Lindt cafe in Martin Place: | Here is what we know so far, after the Sydney siege ended with a group of hostages escaping and police storming the Lindt cafe in Martin Place: |
| Police are due to give a press conference to update the media on the latest news – including details of casualties – at 5am (6pm GMT). Do follow ongoing live coverage on our new blog here. | Police are due to give a press conference to update the media on the latest news – including details of casualties – at 5am (6pm GMT). Do follow ongoing live coverage on our new blog here. |
| Thank you for reading. | Thank you for reading. |
| 5.31pm GMT | 5.31pm GMT |
| 17:31 | 17:31 |
| Helen Davidson sends this round-up from the scene: | Helen Davidson sends this round-up from the scene: |
| More than 16 hours after it began, the siege at a cafe in Sydney’s Martin Place dramatically came to an end. | More than 16 hours after it began, the siege at a cafe in Sydney’s Martin Place dramatically came to an end. |
| Shortly after 2am a loud bang was heard coming from the building, followed by shouts from police and several people – including apparent hostages – running from the scene. | Shortly after 2am a loud bang was heard coming from the building, followed by shouts from police and several people – including apparent hostages – running from the scene. |
| A sustained mix of what appeared to gunfire and flashbangs went on for 10 to 15 seconds as police stormed the cafe. At the sound of a second bang, an officer in bomb disposal gear appeared and there was another short burst of the gunfire/flashbang. | A sustained mix of what appeared to gunfire and flashbangs went on for 10 to 15 seconds as police stormed the cafe. At the sound of a second bang, an officer in bomb disposal gear appeared and there was another short burst of the gunfire/flashbang. |
| One injured female hostage was carried out by two police officers, and paramedics brought another three out on stretchers. Paramedics performed CPR on one. | One injured female hostage was carried out by two police officers, and paramedics brought another three out on stretchers. Paramedics performed CPR on one. |
| Police will not yet confirm fatalities or injuries but the NSW ambulance service has said they are ‘treating and transporting a number of hostages’. | Police will not yet confirm fatalities or injuries but the NSW ambulance service has said they are ‘treating and transporting a number of hostages’. |
| What they have confirmed is that the situation is over. The police commissioner will speak at 5am. | What they have confirmed is that the situation is over. The police commissioner will speak at 5am. |
| The police presence has significantly lessened but roads remain closed. | The police presence has significantly lessened but roads remain closed. |
| 5.24pm GMT | 5.24pm GMT |
| 17:24 | 17:24 |
| There will be a press conference on the Sydney siege – when we expect to hear confirmation of casualties as well as more details of the rescue operation – at 5am (6pm GMT). | There will be a press conference on the Sydney siege – when we expect to hear confirmation of casualties as well as more details of the rescue operation – at 5am (6pm GMT). |
| We will have live coverage of the press conference here. | We will have live coverage of the press conference here. |
| 5.16pm GMT | 5.16pm GMT |
| 17:16 | 17:16 |
| Report: hostage treated for gunshot wound | Report: hostage treated for gunshot wound |
| There is still no official word on injuries and possible fatalities, but reports are trickling out about people from the cafe who are being treated in hospital. This via Royal North Shore hospital in Sydney: | There is still no official word on injuries and possible fatalities, but reports are trickling out about people from the cafe who are being treated in hospital. This via Royal North Shore hospital in Sydney: |
| RNSH confirms they are treating a woman in her 40s is in a serious, but stable condition with a gunshot wound to her leg #sydneysiege | RNSH confirms they are treating a woman in her 40s is in a serious, but stable condition with a gunshot wound to her leg #sydneysiege |
| 4.56pm GMT | 4.56pm GMT |
| 16:56 | 16:56 |
| Guardian Australia photographer Mike Bowers is at the scene and sends these images of the dramatic end to the siege: | Guardian Australia photographer Mike Bowers is at the scene and sends these images of the dramatic end to the siege: |
| Police and paramedics at work on a patient in Phillip street @heldavidson @GuardianAus http://t.co/WZkzCAbzYl pic.twitter.com/zuuC1w0obG | Police and paramedics at work on a patient in Phillip street @heldavidson @GuardianAus http://t.co/WZkzCAbzYl pic.twitter.com/zuuC1w0obG |
| Smoke in the cafe after the siege @heldavidson @GuardianAus http://t.co/WZkzCAbzYl pic.twitter.com/UkTYqrobDx | Smoke in the cafe after the siege @heldavidson @GuardianAus http://t.co/WZkzCAbzYl pic.twitter.com/UkTYqrobDx |
| 4.52pm GMT | 4.52pm GMT |
| 16:52 | 16:52 |
| Reports: two dead, including a hostage | Reports: two dead, including a hostage |
| There are reports in other media that two people have been killed, among them one of the hostages. | There are reports in other media that two people have been killed, among them one of the hostages. |
| I must stress that these claims are unconfirmed and Guardian reporters are currently attempting to verify them. | I must stress that these claims are unconfirmed and Guardian reporters are currently attempting to verify them. |
| This liveblog will have the latest as we find out more information. | This liveblog will have the latest as we find out more information. |
| 4.43pm GMT | 4.43pm GMT |
| 16:43 | 16:43 |
| My colleague Bill Code at Martin Place sends further footage of the emergency services response to the end of the siege: | My colleague Bill Code at Martin Place sends further footage of the emergency services response to the end of the siege: |
| 4.22pm GMT | 4.22pm GMT |
| 16:22 | 16:22 |
| We still have no confirmation of injuries or deaths – we will of course update you here once we have verified information on that. Police and ambulance services have not made any details public yet. | We still have no confirmation of injuries or deaths – we will of course update you here once we have verified information on that. Police and ambulance services have not made any details public yet. |
| @NSWAmbulance paramedics treating & transporting a number of hostages after @nswpolice resolve CBD incident pic.twitter.com/UKjLyG6u0d | @NSWAmbulance paramedics treating & transporting a number of hostages after @nswpolice resolve CBD incident pic.twitter.com/UKjLyG6u0d |
| 4.19pm GMT | 4.19pm GMT |
| 16:19 | 16:19 |
| My colleague Bill Code was in Martin Place as the siege came to an end and sends this video from the scene of hostages fleeing the Lindt cafe: | My colleague Bill Code was in Martin Place as the siege came to an end and sends this video from the scene of hostages fleeing the Lindt cafe: |
| 4.14pm GMT | 4.14pm GMT |
| 16:14 | 16:14 |
| How the siege unfolded | How the siege unfolded |
| 4.09pm GMT | 4.09pm GMT |
| 16:09 | 16:09 |
| What we know about Man Haron Monis | What we know about Man Haron Monis |
| My colleague Michael Safi sends this on the man identified in reports as the hostage-taker: | My colleague Michael Safi sends this on the man identified in reports as the hostage-taker: |
| The man behind the Sydney cafe siege is reported to be 49-year-old self-styled ‘Muslim cleric and peace activist’ named Man Haron Monis, who is currently on bail facing dozens of charges of indecent and sexual assault. | The man behind the Sydney cafe siege is reported to be 49-year-old self-styled ‘Muslim cleric and peace activist’ named Man Haron Monis, who is currently on bail facing dozens of charges of indecent and sexual assault. |
| Monis, who also goes by the names Mohammad Hassan Manteghi and Manteghi Boroujerdi, was infamously involved in sending ‘grossly offensive’ letters to parents and relatives of Australian victims of terrorism and troops killed in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009. He unsuccessfully challenged the conviction in the high court last year. | Monis, who also goes by the names Mohammad Hassan Manteghi and Manteghi Boroujerdi, was infamously involved in sending ‘grossly offensive’ letters to parents and relatives of Australian victims of terrorism and troops killed in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009. He unsuccessfully challenged the conviction in the high court last year. |
| The Iranian-born man, who apparently converted from Shia Islam to Sunni only last week, has also been accused of being an accessory in the killing of his ex-wife, a charge for which he remains on bail. | The Iranian-born man, who apparently converted from Shia Islam to Sunni only last week, has also been accused of being an accessory in the killing of his ex-wife, a charge for which he remains on bail. |
| He told ABC News in 2001 that he fled Australia five years earlier after falling foul of the Iranian regime, which he said had placed his wife and children under house arrest. ‘I can say they are hostage,’ he said at the time. | He told ABC News in 2001 that he fled Australia five years earlier after falling foul of the Iranian regime, which he said had placed his wife and children under house arrest. ‘I can say they are hostage,’ he said at the time. |
| A fringe figure in Australia’s Muslim community, Monis has been spurned by Shia leaders, who have reportedly urged federal police to investigate the man over his claims to be an ayatollah, or Shia cleric. | A fringe figure in Australia’s Muslim community, Monis has been spurned by Shia leaders, who have reportedly urged federal police to investigate the man over his claims to be an ayatollah, or Shia cleric. |
| According to a post on his website, Monis converted to Sunni Islam in December, labelling Shia Muslims as ‘rejectionists’. | According to a post on his website, Monis converted to Sunni Islam in December, labelling Shia Muslims as ‘rejectionists’. |
| A rambling October letter he penned to the Muslim community rejected the ‘new religion’ of moderate Islam. ‘This pen is my gun and these words are my bullets, I fight by these weapons against oppression to promote peace,’ he wrote. | A rambling October letter he penned to the Muslim community rejected the ‘new religion’ of moderate Islam. ‘This pen is my gun and these words are my bullets, I fight by these weapons against oppression to promote peace,’ he wrote. |
| An image on the website appears to show Monis wearing the same headband that photographs suggest he donned during the Martin Place siege, reading: ‘We are ready to sacrifice for you, O Muhammad.’ | An image on the website appears to show Monis wearing the same headband that photographs suggest he donned during the Martin Place siege, reading: ‘We are ready to sacrifice for you, O Muhammad.’ |
| Shortly after the prime minister, Tony Abbott, was elected in September 2013, Monis sent a letter inviting him to a live debate where he said he would prove that ‘Australia and Australians will be attacked’ as a result of the country’s participation in the war in Afghanistan. | Shortly after the prime minister, Tony Abbott, was elected in September 2013, Monis sent a letter inviting him to a live debate where he said he would prove that ‘Australia and Australians will be attacked’ as a result of the country’s participation in the war in Afghanistan. |
| 4.01pm GMT | 4.01pm GMT |
| 16:01 | 16:01 |
| To catch up with events so far, take a look at this report by my colleague Peter Walker: Sydney siege ends as police storm Lindt Cafe and hostages run out. | To catch up with events so far, take a look at this report by my colleague Peter Walker: Sydney siege ends as police storm Lindt Cafe and hostages run out. |
| An armed siege at a cafe in the heart of Sydney has ended after police entered the building shortly after a series of loud bangs were heard and groups of hostages ran out onto the street. | An armed siege at a cafe in the heart of Sydney has ended after police entered the building shortly after a series of loud bangs were heard and groups of hostages ran out onto the street. |
| In dramatic scenes about 17 hours after a single armed man, named in reports as Man Haron Monis, first took an unknown number of hostages, heavily armed police stormed the Lindt Cafe, in a building on Martin Place, a pedestrianised street in the middle of Sydney’s central business district. | In dramatic scenes about 17 hours after a single armed man, named in reports as Man Haron Monis, first took an unknown number of hostages, heavily armed police stormed the Lindt Cafe, in a building on Martin Place, a pedestrianised street in the middle of Sydney’s central business district. |
| Several bursts of gunfire could be heard, and several people were seen being carried from the building, apparently injured. Some reports said a police officer had been hurt. A number of paramedics were at the scene. | Several bursts of gunfire could be heard, and several people were seen being carried from the building, apparently injured. Some reports said a police officer had been hurt. A number of paramedics were at the scene. |
| The chaotic scenes began as between five and seven hostages were seen running from the cafe, the second group of captives to escape since the siege began at about 9.45am on Monday local time. Later, other groups of what appeared to be hostages could be seen running out. | The chaotic scenes began as between five and seven hostages were seen running from the cafe, the second group of captives to escape since the siege began at about 9.45am on Monday local time. Later, other groups of what appeared to be hostages could be seen running out. |
| 3.53pm GMT | 3.53pm GMT |
| 15:53 | 15:53 |
| Police have confirmed that the siege is over but there has been no update on the status of the hostage-taker(s) or the hostages. | Police have confirmed that the siege is over but there has been no update on the status of the hostage-taker(s) or the hostages. |
| We do know that several people were removed from the scene on stretchers. | We do know that several people were removed from the scene on stretchers. |
| 3.49pm GMT | 3.49pm GMT |
| 15:49 | 15:49 |
| NSW Police say they cannot confirm breaking reports that two people have died in the Sydney siege, saying all they can confirm is that the siege is over. | NSW Police say they cannot confirm breaking reports that two people have died in the Sydney siege, saying all they can confirm is that the siege is over. |
| 3.46pm GMT | 3.46pm GMT |
| 15:46 | 15:46 |
| Police say siege is over | Police say siege is over |
| Sydney siege is over. More details to follow. | Sydney siege is over. More details to follow. |
| 3.41pm GMT | 3.41pm GMT |
| 15:41 | 15:41 |
| There is still, understandably, a lack of clarity about the situation in Martin Place. My colleagues Helen Davidson and Bill Code are on the scene and say there is a huge emergency services presence. Reporters and others are being kept back. | There is still, understandably, a lack of clarity about the situation in Martin Place. My colleagues Helen Davidson and Bill Code are on the scene and say there is a huge emergency services presence. Reporters and others are being kept back. |
| Police have now formed a line in front of media. #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/PcQrB9ByNL | Police have now formed a line in front of media. #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/PcQrB9ByNL |
| Sheer number of emergency workers amazing #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/L0FlSnnhar | Sheer number of emergency workers amazing #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/L0FlSnnhar |
| 3.38pm GMT | 3.38pm GMT |
| 15:38 | 15:38 |
| Australia’s 7 News is reporting seven people carried away on stretchers, of whom five were being treated by paramedics as they were being moved. | Australia’s 7 News is reporting seven people carried away on stretchers, of whom five were being treated by paramedics as they were being moved. |
| 3.33pm GMT | 3.33pm GMT |
| 15:33 | 15:33 |
| Recap of recent events | Recap of recent events |
| There has been a flurry of activity in the last 25 minutes – here’s what we know: | There has been a flurry of activity in the last 25 minutes – here’s what we know: |
| Police carry woman from #sydneysiege. Air thick with smoke still pic.twitter.com/HydabuK8jX | Police carry woman from #sydneysiege. Air thick with smoke still pic.twitter.com/HydabuK8jX |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.35pm GMT | at 3.35pm GMT |
| 3.30pm GMT | 3.30pm GMT |
| 15:30 | 15:30 |
| Helen Davidson in Martin Place says a bomb disposal robot is now going into the building. | Helen Davidson in Martin Place says a bomb disposal robot is now going into the building. |