| A thread for the wrap-up. Thank goodness the hostages are safe. |
Police stormed the cafe in central Sydney where a gunman held hostages for more than 16 hours
Police moved in firing automatic weapons and throwing grenades as hostages were seen fleeing in terror from cafe
Live TV footage showed hostages running frantically from the cafe at shortly after 2 am in small groups
It came hours after Man Haron Monis was named as the gunman holding people hostage in a Sydney café
Iranian refugee, 50, was charged with accessory in the murder of his ex-wife
He was also facing multiple charges of sexual assault while claiming to be a 'spiritual healer'
Monis received 300 community service hours for sending hate mail to the families of Australian dead soldiers
The siege follows an unsuccessful attempt to have these charges overturned in the High Court on Friday
He forced hostages to hold up a black flag with white writing in Arabic, an emblem linked to terror groups |