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Deadly end to Sydney siege

Two hostages, gunman killed after armed police storm Lindt cafe

Agencies
Heavily armed Australian police stormed a Sydney cafe early today and freed a number of hostages being held there at gunpoint, in a dramatic end to a 16-hour siege in which three people were killed and four wounded.
New South Wales police said two men, aged 34 and 50, and a 38-year-old woman died. The attacker was among the fatalities, reports Reuters.
Heavy gunfire and blasts from stun grenades filled the air shortly after 2:00am local time (1500 GMT on Monday).
Moments earlier at least six people believed to have been held captive managed to flee after gunshots were heard coming from the cafe, and police later confirmed that they made their move in response.
So far 17 hostages have been accounted for.
Medics tried to resuscitate at least one person after the raid and took away several wounded people on stretchers, said a Reuters witness at the scene in downtown Sydney. Bomb squad members moved in to search for explosives, but none were found.
The operation began shortly after a police source named the gunman as Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee and self-styled sheikh facing multiple charges of sexual assault as well as being an accessory to murder.
He was also found guilty in 2012 of sending offensive and threatening letters to families of eight Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, as a protest against Australia's involvement in the conflict, according to local media reports.
A US security official said the US government was being advised by Australia that there was no sign at this stage that the gunman was connected to known terrorist organisations.
Although the hostage taker was known to the authorities, security experts said preventing attacks by people acting alone could be difficult.
"Today's crisis throws into sharp relief the dangers of lone wolf terrorism," said Cornell University law professor Jens David Ohlin, speaking in New York.
'ISLAMIC FLAG'
During the siege, hostages had been forced to display an Islamic flag, igniting fears of a jihadist attack.
Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its escalating action against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, has been on high alert for attacks by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East.
News footage showed hostages holding up a black and white flag displaying the Shahada, a testament to the faith of Muslims. The flag has been popular among Sunni Islamist militant groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
At least five hostages were released
or escaped yesterday, with terrified cafe workers and customers running into the arms of paramilitary police.
The incident forced the evacuation of nearby buildings and sent shockwaves around a country where many people were turning their attention to the Christmas holiday following earlier security scares.
The siege cafe is in Martin Place, a pedestrian strip popular with workers on a lunch break, which was revealed as a potential location for the thwarted beheading.
In the biggest security operation in Sydney since a bombing at the Hilton Hotel killed two people in 1978, major banks closed their offices in the central business district and people were told to avoid the area.
Muslim leaders urged calm. The Australian National Imams Council condemned “this criminal act unequivocally" in a joint statement with the Grand Mufti of Australia.
'ISOLATED FIGURE'
Iranian cleric Man Haron Monis is the man police believe was behind the siege at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney's Martin Place, reports ABC, Australia's public broadcaster.
Monis, who was granted political asylum in Australia, was on bail for a string of violent offences, including being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife.
He was also facing more than 40 sexual and indecent assault charges and had a conviction for sending offensive letters to families of deceased Australian soldiers.
His former lawyer, Manny Conditsis, described Monis as an isolated figure who he believed was probably acting alone.
"His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness,' he said.