Sydney (CNN) -- Australian special forces troops and police
stormed the cafe where a self-styled Muslim cleric had been
holding hostages early Tuesday, killing the gunman and ending
a crisis that had paralyzed central Sydney for hours.
A national security source in the United States said the
combined military-police team entered the Lindt Chocolate Cafe
from two directions early Tuesday morning and killed the man,
identified by an official with direct knowledge of the situation as
Man Haron Monis.
Police didn't say if anyone else was hurt in the raid, but video
shot by Australian media showed people being taken from the
scene on stretchers, and Australian media reported some people
may have been killed and others wounded.
Police declined to comment to CNN but said on Twitter that
details of the incident were to come.
The raid ended the 16-hour standoff but left many other
questions unanswered: What did the gunman want? Why did he
choose the cafe as his target? And was he acting alone?
Before the raid, Monis had demanded a flag and phone call with Prime Minister Tony Abbott, CNN affiliate Sky News Australia reported. He made the demands through hostages who contacted media organizations, Sky News reported.
Some hostages had also reportedly posted messages to social
networking sites and the YouTube online video service. Police urged media early Tuesday not to show thevideos.
Monis, also known as Sheikh Haron, pleaded guilty in 2013 to
writing letters to relatives of Australian service members saying
they were "Hitler's soldiers," according to Australian media
reports.
He was believed to be acting alone, and he didn't appear to be
part of a broader plot, additional U.S. law enforcement and
intelligence sources said Monday.
How the siege unfolded
Hundreds of police officers, including snipers, surrounded the
cafe in Sydney's central business district shortly after the
gunman took over the building at 10 a.m. Monday (6 p.m. ET
Sunday).
Chilling images from Australian media on Monday
showed people, believed to be hostages, with their
hands pressed against the cafe's windows. They
were holding up a black flag with Arabic writing on it
reading, "There is no God but God and Mohammed
is the prophet of God."
Five hostages sprinted out of the cafe toward
heavily armed police officers several hours into the
standoff, sending the gunman into an agitated
tirade, according to an Australian reporter.
Chris Reason, a correspondent for CNN affiliate
Seven Network, said the gunman became
"extremely agitated" when he realized what had
happened and "started screaming orders" at the
remaining hostages.
Reason said he could see the gunman pacing past
the cafe's windows from his vantage point at the
network's nearby offices. He described the man as
unshaven, wearing a white shirt and black cap and
carrying a shotgun.
As night fell, lights went out in the cafe, Reason
reported.
After a tense night, police could be seen early Tuesday throwing flash-bang grenades into the cafe in video aired by Seven Network. Gunfire erupted amid the chaos. After a brief episode of violence, the crisis appeared to ease, with police officers assuming a more relaxed pose, according to Australian media.
Video captured medics working on some people and others
being carried away in stretchers.
Tiffiny Genders, a police reporter for 2GB radio, told CNN the
freed hostages had been taken to hospitals under police guard.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/15/world/asia/australia-sydney-hostage-situation/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 
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