Postpublished at 18:50 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Police have accounted for 17 hostages, two of whom are dead, police say at the press conference.
Summary
Australian police have stormed a cafe in Sydney after a prolonged siege in which a gunman took a number of people hostage
Shots have been heard and several hostages have been seen running from the Lindt cafe. Police now say the siege is over
The gunman has been named as Man Haron Monis - a self-proclaimed cleric from Iran
People inside the cafe were earlier forced to hold a black flag with Arabic writing at the window. All times GMT
Postpublished at 18:50 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Postpublished at 18:49 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
A police statement says that four people were injured in the incident.
Postpublished at 18:49 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
The hostage taking stand-off was an isolated incident, police say.
Postpublished at 18:45 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Police say that the dead include a 34-year-old man, a 38-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man who it is thought to be gunman Man Haron Monis.
Breaking Newspublished at 18:41 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Australian police say three people were killed and four injured in the siege.
Postpublished at 18:32 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
"The decision as to when to go into an operation and use force is a fine balance and its about gain," Henderson Risk Limited CEO Duncan Bullivant told the BBC. "If time is going to give you the gain for a peaceful negotiation, you've got to negotiate. "But if the negotiations, or the people you're negotiating with, seem unstable or you're moving to a point where the people on the ground believe that there is a risk to the hostages then force has to be used".
Postpublished at 18:18 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Two Muslim men performed prayers for peace in the aftermath of the hostage-taking incident near to the cafe where it took place. In a statement, several Muslim groups in Australia criticised the gunman's actions.
Image source, APPostpublished at 18:09 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
ABC News tweets, external: #BREAKING: NSW Police confirm gunman from #SydneySiege is dead
Chris Reason at Channel 7 Newspublished at 18:05 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
tweets, external: The casualties, unconfirmed: 2 dead, 3 seriously injured, including a police officer
Australian actor Russell Crowepublished at 18:03 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
tweets:, external Sending love Sydney. Stay patient..need everybody safe & a peaceful resolution . #illridewithyou
Postpublished at 17:59 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Reports say the New South Wales police are due to hold a news conference shortly. Will bring you all the latest updates and reaction to this fast moving story.
Postpublished at 17:44 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Man Haron Monis has made numerous court appearances in Sydney over the last five years.
Image source, EPA
Image source, EPA
Image source, EPAPostpublished at 17:30 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
A man who was leaving the Lindt cafe in Sydney just as the gunman arrived tells Australia's Daily Telegraph, external about his lucky escape.
Postpublished at 17:20 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Australia's 2EU Radio reporter Leonie Ryan tells the BBC that - according to "well-placed police sources" - the decision to storm the cafe "was completely unplanned". She says: "We're hearing reports that Man Haron Monis actually fired the first shots. Police made the decision to storm into the cafe after hearing gunfire."
Postpublished at 17:02 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Police and emergency services speedily moved into the cafe area shortly after five or six hostages were seen fleeing the building. Loud bangs and shots were also heard.
Image source, EPAPostpublished at 17:00 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Who are the radicalised members of Australia's Muslim community and how large is the problem? Here's a 90-second BBC video.
Postpublished at 16:57 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Here's the dramatic footage of police storming the cafe.
Image source, EPAPostpublished at 16:42 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
The full extent of injuries suffered by those who were held hostage is still not clear.
Image source, APPostpublished at 16:41 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
A hostage and the gunman are believed to have died during the stand-off, media reports say.
Postpublished at 16:39 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2014
Australia's jihadist problem is much bigger than Sydney's hostage crisis, the Washington Post, external says.