All about the hostage situation going on in Australian cafe right now

Around 9.30am this morning Dec. 14th, a man witnesses described as wearing a headband covered in Arabic walked into a central Sydney cafe, produced a gun and now holding several people - about 15/20 - hostage inside the cafe. He later forced crying women to hold a black Islamic flag up to the window. He is believed to be affiliated with Islamic sect ISIS. Read full story after the cut...
From UK Daily Mail 
 

Fear etched into their faces, two young female employees have fled a central Sydney cafe more than seven hours after a terrorist armed with a gun took more than a dozen people hostage and forced crying women to hold a black Islamic flag up to the window.

A total of five hostages, including barista Elly Chen, have now escaped the Lindt cafe in Martin Place an hour after a male employee and two male customers scrambled from a fire exit and sheltered behind heavily armed police officers shortly before 3.45pm on Monday.

It is understood the hostages escaped from the cafe, rather than being released by their captor. One former male hostage has been taken to nearby St Vincent's Hospital, in Sydney's inner suburbs, and is being treated for a pre-existing condition. 

The gunman flew into a rage when he realised some of his captives had escaped.

'The gunman could be seen from here getting extremely agitated, shouting at remaining hostages,' tweeted journalist Chris Reason, who has a direct line of sight into the cafe from the Seven Network newsroom directly opposite and inside the police cordon.