Sydney siege ends, Guntur hostage among others safe; police identify hostage taker

Sydney: A flurry of loud bangs erupted on early Tuesday as a swarm of heavily armed police stormed a downtown Sydney cafe where a gunman had been holding an unknown number of people hostage for more than 16 hours.

Infosys employee Viswakanth Ankireddy amongst the freed hostages from Lindt cafe.

Read: Sydney cafe hostage Ankireddi Viswakanth's father confident of son’s safe release

Police swooped into the Lindt Chocolat Cafe shortly after five or six hostages were seen running out of the building.

After the police moved in, one weeping woman was helped out by the officers and at least two other people were wheeled out on stretchers.

I have seen my brother, he is safe: Bheero Dhtta Reddy to ANI (Brother of Indian national who was held hostage in Lindt cafe in Sydney)

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 15, 2014

Read: #illridewithyou supports Muslims amid Sydney siege

The dramatic scene unfolded shortly after the gunman was identified by local media as Iranian-born Man Haron Monis, who is facing charges including sexual assault and accessory to murder in separate cases. A police official said "you wouldn't be wrong" in identifying the 50-year-old Monis as the gunman. Under department rules, officials do not identify themselves unless speaking at a formal news conference.

Monis has long been on officials' radar. Last year, he was sentenced to 300 hours of community service for writing offensive letters to families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan. He was later charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife. Earlier this year, he was charged with the sexual assault of a woman in 2002. He has been out on bail on the charges.

"This is a one-off random individual. It's not a concerted terrorism event or act. It's a damaged goods individual who's done something outrageous," his former lawyer, Manny Conditsis, told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Read: Timeline of Australia hostage drama at Sydney café

"His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness," Conditsis said.