Heavily armed Australian police stormed a Sydney cafe on Tuesday and freed a number of hostages being held there at gunpoint, in a dramatic end to a 16-hour siege in which three people were killed and four wounded.
New South Wales police said two men, aged 34 and 50, and a 38-year-old woman died. The attacker was among the fatalities.
Heavy gunfire and blasts from stun grenades filled the air shortly after 2 a.m. local time.