Gunfire and loud bangs at the scene of a hostage siege in Sydney... as heavily armed officers storm a cafe in the heart of the financial district.<br/> <br />That's where a gunman -- identified as an Iranian refugee -- had been holding an unknown number of hostages for over 16 hours.<br/> <br />One media outlet said the gunman and one other person were killed in the siege.<br/> <br />The early morning raid on Tuesday appeared to be the end of a standoff that sent shockwaves around the country ... just when people were turning their attention to the Christmas holiday.<br/> <br />Moments before the storming, several hostages appeared to flee the scene.<br/> <br />At least five more had fled or escaped the cafe earlier in the day, but about 15 others were still thought to be holed up inside.<br/> <br />Within minutes of police storming, medics moved in and began removing the injured.<br/> <br />It wasn't immediately clear if that included the gunman himself.<br/> <br />He was identified just a little earlier as Man Haron Monis,
