A gunman took an unknown number of people hostage inside a downtown Sydney chocolate shop and cafe at the height of Monday morning rush hour. Two people inside the cafe hold up a flag believed to contain an Islamic declaration of faith.
Sydney, Australia, Hostage Situation
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![Three Muslim men pray at the Lindt coffee shop in Sydney's Martin Place, Sydney Australia, Tuesday Dec. 16, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/6ed62f8f-7e30-49da-aaa4-be5b5918a18b_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Three Muslim men pray at the Lindt coffee shop in Sydney's Martin Place, Sydney Australia, Tuesday Dec. 16, 2014.
![A woman reacts after placing a floral tribute amongst thousands of others that have been placed near the cafe where hostages were held for over 16 hours, in central Sydney, December 16, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/bb61b5e2-8307-4afb-94e2-164cc08ef790_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A woman reacts after placing a floral tribute amongst thousands of others that have been placed near the cafe where hostages were held for over 16 hours, in central Sydney, December 16, 2014.
![Employees of the Lindt Cafe pay tribute to colleagues who lost their lives following the shootings, at a makeshift memorial at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney Australia, Tuesday Dec. 16, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/3da20c46-08ac-4303-886a-3c7ad673f53c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Employees of the Lindt Cafe pay tribute to colleagues who lost their lives following the shootings, at a makeshift memorial at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney Australia, Tuesday Dec. 16, 2014.
![A injured hostage is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Dec. 16, 2014.](https://gdb.voanews.com/33bcc1d0-6781-426a-aac1-aff29d6ac3b8_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A injured hostage is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Dec. 16, 2014.