The hostage situation in Sydney took a dramatic turn over the past few minutes. After being relatively quiet for most of the sixteen-plus hours of the crisis, gunfire erupted and police rushed into the Lindt Cafe — and hostages fled as well. The live local news coverage says “it all happened so fast,” and it started with a bang:

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Paramedics have carried out stretchers, but no one knows quite what this means at the moment. The fact that police and paramedics are going in and out make it pretty clear that the hostage situation has been resolved for better or worse.

Fox News reports on the identity of the terrorist:

The suspected jihadist holding up to 15 people hostage in a Sydney cafe is an Iranian facing murder and sex assault charges who is also known for sending hate mail to the families of Australian soldiers killed overseas, police confirmed.

As the standoff entered its 15th hour, with police and news crews surrounding the shop as frightened hostages looked out through the front window, police identified Man Haron Monis as the gunman holding captives inside Lindt Chocolat Cafe. His identity was known early on to police and media alike, but was only released for the record by police sources as night fell on Sydney with the nation transfixed on the televised scene.

One reporter now says that the gunman is down, but so far there has been no official confirmation. The actions of the police after the raid certainly gives that impression, though.

Update: Reporter noted that one woman has been carried out on a stretcher, so the gunman wasn’t the only one injured in the raid on the shop. Shortly after 2 am local time, a half-dozen hostages ran out of the shop, at which point the police tossed in a grenade. A seventh hostage then ran out and police ran in, firing all the way. Something must have triggered the mass escape — perhaps some manner of coordination with the police, or perhaps the police heard something going on inside the store and decided that they had run out of time.

Update: NBC reports that police were seen conducting CPR on someone at the doorway. It could very well be the perpetrator, though.

Update: Local media reports that four hostages appear to be seriously wounded. Keep in mind that first reports are usually wrong, though.

Update: Police have confirmed to the media that “the siege is over,” so that’s that. The Sydney Morning Herald has more on the terrorist:

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.

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.

Monis, who has also gone by the names of Sheikh Haron and Mohammad Hassan Manteghi, was born in Iran and most recently has been living at Bexley North in Sydney’s south.

He recently likened himself on his own webpage to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, claiming the most recent charges against him have been laid for “political reasons”.

His website also carries a quote, posted earlier this month stating: “I used to be a Rafidi, but not any more. Now I am a Muslim, Alhamdu Lillah”.

He’s quite the nutcase. Watch the video at SMH to get a sense of it. Big hat-tip to Meryl Yourish for the link.

Update: CNN reports that seven people were wounded in the resolution:

“A number of people have been hit,” Australian state broadcaster ABC reported. ABC journalists said the siege appears to be over. “Certainly it’s ended,” an ABC journalist said.

And now CNN reports that there are two dead. Presumably, one of those is the perpetrator.

Update: ABC News (US) has video of the raid:

Interestingly, almost an hour after the raid, the perp is still apparently in the shop, according to reporters on the scene. The police have a big van backed up to the entrance, and the speculation is that they’re checking to make sure that there are no bombs inside before dealing with the gunman. That’s if he’s still there.

Update: Sky News is reporting that Monis is among the two killed in the raid. That’s not a surprise, although it’s a little curious as to why it took so long to confirm it.