Official sources have confirmed that three people are dead and four others injured tonight after police forces stormed the downtown Sydney cafe where Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee, held 30 people hostage for over 16 hours.
The dead include Monis himself, and two hostages. It is unclear at this point whether the hostages were killed by their captor or they were caught in the crossfire.
Four other hostages were injured during the ordeal.
Police have now launched a full investigation, as officers were involved in the shootout.
The hostage taker had long been under police file. He had previously been charged with being accessory to murder of his ex-wife, and earlier this year he was sentenced to 300 hours community service for sending offensive letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.