Hostage taker among three killed as police end Sydney siege

A woman runs into the arms of policemen after she escaped from the cafe where a gunman had held several people hostage.

Two hostages and the lone Iranian-born gunman were killed as heavily armed Australian police dramatically stormed a central Sydney cafe to end a day-long siege sparked when the "self-styled sheikh" took 17 people hostage.

Police in SWAT-style gear hurled percussion grenades and opened fire, unleashing a flurry of loud bangs and flashes in the eatery in the heart of Australia's biggest city, after a number of the staff and customers managed to flee for their lives.