Police in Sydney, Australia have ended the hostage standoff with the Islamic terrorist Man Haron Monis. Firing automatic weapons and lobbing stun grenades, police stormed the cafe in central Sydney early on Tuesday where a gunman had been holding more than a dozen hostages, bringing a dramatic end to a siege lasting more than 16 hours.
It is being reported that at least two people have been killed and three others injured. Among those killed was Monis,a 49-year-old man living in southwest Sydney, but is originally from Iran and a self-proclaimed sheik, and also sent hate mail to the families of Australian dead soldiers between 2007 and 2009, according to The Daily Telegraph.
A scene of pandemonium erupted in the early morning just minutes after hostages started emerging from the cafe. Initially one man emerged with his hands up and lay down on the ground in front of police. Seconds later, a group of of five hostages appeared suddenly after apparently escaping the cafe.
This appeared to be the trigger for tactical police to move in. Within seconds, they had blasted open the cafe door and opened fire with automatic weapons, also hurling what appeared to be stun grenades. The sounds of explosions echoed through the city, and the flashes of rifle fire and the grenades lit up the area.
The gunfight lasted less than two minutes, and more hostages appeared to emerge after the police raid.
