Watch Live: Hostage Drama Plays Out On YouTube From Sydney, Australia, Hostage Situation In Lindt Café

There’s a live hostage drama in Sydney, Australia, that’s playing out on live TV, being broadcast in the very heart of the city via a live YouTube video stream titled “Watch ABC News 24 Live,” which reports more than 27,000 people watching the live hostage drama online as it unfolds – a number that has already grown to more than 32,500 people viewing the hostage drama within minutes.

According to BBC News, a gunman took hostages in Sydney cafe?, and the live reports of hostages being held in siege in Martin Place, ?according to ABC News, proved that a group of people were being held against their will in a siege in Sydney’s CBD.

The situation proved to be a big test for Sydney police and their negotiation skills. Specialist officers are reportedly trying to make contact with the hostage takers. Certain people have been evacuated from the building, with news reporters declining to comment on the exact location of the people who were evacuated in order to keep them safe during the hostage situation.

A man walked in and the doors were locked. Images of black flags held against the windows emerged, containing ominous messages in Arabic.

“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of God,” read the signs on the black flags.

The New South Wales Police take the lead in situations like this. The Martin Place Train Station has been shut. Police are dealing with an armed incident, and people in the immediate area are being warned to keep away from open areas and are urging those close by to keep away from windows — and to safely leave the area if possible, for those not in direct harm’s way.

One man who was arrested near the scene of Martin Place was not related to the hostage siege. The Prime Minister Abbott has called the hostage situation “deeply disturbing,” and plans to address the public via a press conference, and nearby offices have been evacuated as a safety precaution. The Sydney Opera House has been evacuated. The hostages were seen with their hands raised inside the café.

Reports of at least three people who were able to be seen through the windows of a cafe in Martin Place with their hands raised have been reported. The police have urged the media to report responsibly in a manner that does not alarm the public or give away anything that will give away police intelligence.

As reported by the Inquisitr, the hostage situation began earlier today in downtown Sydney at the Lindt Café.