Sydney cafe siege ends

Several hostages have emerged from the cafe. It was under siege for more than 17 hours.

The NSW Police tweeted: "Sydney siege is over. More details to follow."

According to reports, 2 hostages have been killed in the incident.

An Iranian man has been identified responsible for holding several people hostage in a Sydney cafe on Monday, media reports said.

He has been identified as Man Haron Monis.

"Self-described cleric, Man Haron Monis, 50, first came to attention of police when he penned poisonous letters to the family of dead Australian soldiers seven years ago," The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

"Last year he was charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife and mother of two.Most recently, he was charged with more than 50 allegations of indecent and sexual assault relating to time allegedly spent as a self-proclaimed 'spiritual healer' who dealt with black magic at a premises in western Sydney more than a decade ago," it said.

The armed man  took several people hostages in Lindt Cafe of Sydney in Australia, triggering a crisis even as several of his captives managed to escape.