SYDNEY — Five people escaped from a Sydney cafe where a gunman took an unknown number of hostages during morning rush hour today. Two people inside the cafe earlier held up a flag with an Islamic declaration of faith that has often been used by extremists, raising fears that a terrorist incident was playing out in the heart of Australia's biggest city.

The first three people ran out of the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in downtown Sydney six hours into the hostage crisis, and two women sprinted from a fire exit into the arms of waiting police shortly afterward. Both women were wearing aprons with the Lindt chocolate logo, indicating they were cafe employees.

“I would like to give you as much as I can, but right now that is as much as I can,” New South Wales state police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said. “First and foremost, we have to make sure we do nothing that could in any way jeopardize those still in the building.”

Police were negotiating with the gunman and said they had no information to suggest anyone had been hurt.

The Department of Defense says two servicemen died from wounds suffered during an attack in Afghanistan.Officials said Sunday that U.S. Army Spc. Wyatt J. Martin of Mesa, Ariz., and Sgt. 1st Class Ramon S. Morris of New York City died Friday in Parwan Province. The vehicle the men were in was attacked with an improvised explosive device.The 22-year-old Martin and the 37-year-old Morris were assigned to the 3rd Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.As of Dec. 2, 2014, at least 2,210 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, according to an Associated Press count. The AP count is three less than the Defense Department's tally, also last updated Dec. 2.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A Saudi newspaper says a woman arrested after attending a soccer game claims she did not know women were prohibited from going to the stadium.The state-linked Okaz newspaper reported today that police in the city of Jiddah have questioned the woman, who claims she bought a ticket online without any problems and went to the Friday night game between Jiddah's al-Ittihad and Riyadh's al-Shabab in the al-Jawhara stadium, where she was arrested.Okaz did not identify the woman. The paper says she was questioned by police for “impersonating” a man by wearing pants, a long-sleeve top, a hat and sunglasses. No charges have been raised so far.