UPDATE: Video of police storming cafe’ to end the siege. Two dead, three wounded.

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. (read more)

Haron Monis, the jihadist gunman seen above

Sydney (CNN) — A gunman holding hostages in a Sydney cafe is said to be demanding an ISIS flag and a phone call with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
The reported demands emerged after five hostages managed to flee the building, leaving an unconfirmed number of people still trapped inside during a standoff that has lasted more than 12 hours so far.

Hours into the siege, the gunman’s requests were made through hostages who contacted several media organizations, CNN affiliate Sky News Australia reported.
Police said they were aware of the reports but declined to confirm what demands had been made.
Amid the crisis, hundreds of police officers, some of them armed with sniper rifles, shut down a usually bustling area in Australia’s most populous city.
“We are doing all we can to set you free,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said at a news conference Monday, directing his comments to the hostages and their loved ones.
Chilling images from local media showed people, believed to be hostages, with their hands pressed against the glass of the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney’s central business district.
Footage showed them holding up a black flag with Arabic writing on it that reads: “There is no God but God and Mohammed is the prophet of God.” That flag was different from the one used by the terrorist group ISIS.

Narrow escape – Cafe worker Nathan said he almost became one of the hostages.
Nathan, who did not want both names used for safety reasons, said he arrived at the cafe in the morning.
When he tried to go in, he said, some of his co-workers in the cafe told him it was closed for the day.
“At this point, I’m thinking something is definitely off,” he said. “I could see a hand and what looked like half a gun. I only saw part of his (the gunman’s) body.”
He said the cafe had both its doors locked, which is unusual at that time.
‘Extremely agitated’ – After hours of tension and uncertainty, three people were seen sprinting out of the cafe and into a group of police officers.
Later, two women dashed out of the cafe and along the street to the waiting police.
“Those people are now being assessed to ensure that their health is OK, and then police will also speak to them,” said New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn. She said police negotiators are in touch with the hostage taker.
Chris Reason, a correspondent for CNN affiliate Seven Network, was allowed to return to the broadcaster’s evacuated offices near the cafe. (read more)