Sydney siege ends in deaths of extremist gunman, two hostages

A person is taken out from the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place following a hostage standoff on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Police stormed the Sydney cafe as a gunman had been holding hostages. [Photo/Agencies]

Sydney's terror siege ended early Tuesday morning with three dead including the lone gunman after armed police stormed a cafe in the heart of Australia's largest city to end the 17-hour incident.

RESCUE OPERATION

Flashes of light and gunshot rang out from the building moments after six hostages escaped from armed Islamic preacher Sheik Man Haron Monis just after 2 a.m. (1500 GMT Monday).

Shortly after 2:15 a.m. (1515 GMT), police forced entry into the building using flash grenades and gunfire.

The exchange of gunfire started with three discrete bangs, with the first shot bringing out five people from the building.

A space followed after the subsequent second shot and then a near-continuous volley of about dozens of shots was heard.

Except the death of the gunman, police confirmed two of the hostages were killed and at least four others were injured, one of them a police officer.

One of the victims, cafe manager Tori Johnson, was killed when he was wrestling a gun from the hostage taker, according to the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC).

Rescued hostages said Johnson, who was 34, decided to take action when Monis started to fall asleep at 2 a.m. after the siege had been going on for 17 hours.

Johnson lunged at the gunman's weapon, enabling others to flee.

The second hostage killed has been identified as 38-year-old Katrina Dawson, mother of three children, who was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital. She was killed trying to defend her pregnant friend, the Australian Associated Press reports.

At least four people were injured including a women in her 40s with a gunshot wound, a police officer who suffered a bullet graze to the cheek and a woman who suffered back problems.