Sydney Seige Ends After 16 Hours

A armed man walked into a popular cafe in Sydney and held its patrons hostage. The cafe was seiged by police, in a stand-off that continued for over 16 hours. Police finally stormed the cafe and freed the hostages, after what witnesses said sounded like a gun battle.

The gunman held people hostage inside the Lindt Cafe at Martin's Place in Sydney's Central Business District.

He made hostages hold up a black flag, which carried white text of what looked like the shahada, the profession of Islamic faith. He told negotiators that he wanted to speak to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and demanded a flag of the Islamic State militants.

Police later identified the gunman as Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee. Sydney police said Monis had earlier been convicted of sexual assault and was known for sending hate letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed overseas.

Two Indian nationals were among the hostages at the cafe. One of them was identified as 33-year-old Viswakanth Ankireddy, a native of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, who worked for IT giant Infosys.

Putting anti-terrorism protocols into place, Australian authorities expressed concern over 'lone wolf' terrorism.

A handful of hostages ran out of the cafe to safety as the seige continued, but the acutal number of people held inside the cafe remained unclear.

Police stormed the cafe, and witnesses reported hearing gunshots. Soon after, hostages ran out of the cafe.

Among the hostages to exit the cafe was Viswakanth Ankireddy.

Paramedics rushed into the cafe, and brought some people out on stretchers. More details continue to emerge from the site.