Updated 15 Dec, 2014 04:43pm

Sydney in lockdown as hostage crisis intensifies

A lone gunman kept terrified staff and customers captive into Monday night in a downtown Sydney cafe, brandishing an Islamic flag, as five of his hostages managed to flee for their lives.

The pre-Christmas siege of the Lindt chocolate cafe triggered a security lockdown in an area of Australia's biggest city that houses several government and corporate headquarters, as hundreds of armed police surrounded the site.

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