Shocking video shows the moment heavily armed police officers stormed the café held by a suspected Islamic extremist for the last 16 hours in Sydney, Australia.

Unverified footage, first aired on Australian TV, shows a number of officers moving into the building amid crackling gunfire and at least five loud explosions.

As officers open fire more hostages can be seen fleeing from the Lindt’s store, on Martin Place in the central business district of the city. It remains unclear whether they escaped or were freed during the gunfire battle.

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Warning: footage may be upsetting for some viewers

Conflicting reports flooding from the scene indicate that four individuals are receiving medical attention and an officer has been injured.

CNN has reported that two people have lost their lives but Australian police are not able at this time to confirm this information but they have confirmed that the siege has ended.

Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Sydney siege Show all 32 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Sydney siege 1/32 Sydney siege A woman carried out by police from the Lindt Cafe after police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had been holding hostages 2/32 Sydney siege People run with hands up from the Lindt Cafe as police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman was holding hostages 3/32 Sydney siege Hostages run towards armed tactical responce police as they run to freedom from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney 4/32 Sydney siege An injured hostage is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during the cafe siege in Sydney 5/32 Sydney siege A blood-stained stretcher is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during the cafe siege in Sydney 6/32 Sydney siege Paramedics remove a stretcher covered in a bloodstained blanket from the Sydney cafe stormed by Australian security forces as hostages were being held at gunpoint REUTERS/David Gray 7/32 Sydney siege An injured hostage is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during the cafe siege in Sydney 8/32 Sydney siege Police escort a hostage (2ndR) with the help of a paramedic (R) during a hostage siege in the central business district of Sydney 9/32 Sydney siege Armed Australian police carry out an operation outside the cafe following an operation in the central business district of Sydney 10/32 Sydney siege Armed Australian police engage in an operation outside the cafe following an operation in the central business district of Sydney 11/32 Sydney siege Police push back a member of the public who tried to get into a building located near the Lindt cafe, where hostages are being held, at Martin Place in central Sydney 12/32 sydney-siege-21.jpg A female hostage stands by the front entrance of the cafe as she turns the lights off 13/32 Sydney siege Armed tactical response police personnel stand watch into the evening near a cafe under siege by a gunman at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney 14/32 Sydney siege A hostage runs towards a police officer outside a cafe, where other hostages are being held in Sydney 15/32 Sydney siege A hostage runs towards a police officer outside a cafe, where other hostages are being held, in Martin Place in central Sydney 16/32 Sydney siege A female employee hostage at the cafe manages to escape from the Lindt Chocolate cafe in Martin Place 17/32 Sydney siege A hostage runs to armed tactical response police officers for safety after she escaped from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney 18/32 Sydney siege Two hostages run for cover behind a policeman during a hostage siege in a cafe in Sydney 19/32 Sydney siege A hostage runs to safety outside the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place 20/32 Sydney siege An armed policeman is seen in Phillip St in Sydney 21/32 Sydney siege Police officers position themselves at a corner near Lindt cafe in Martin Place, where hostages are being held, in central Sydney 22/32 Sydney siege A police officer runs across Martin Place near Lindt cafe, where hostages are being held, in central Sydney 23/32 Sydney siege Hostages at the window EPA 24/32 Sydney siege This image taken from video shows a man believed to be a gunman inside a cafe in Sydney 25/32 Sydney siege Catherine Burn, Deputy Commissioner of the Specialist Operations speaks to the media in relation to the Sydney hostage incident at Sydney Police Centre 26/32 Sydney siege People standing behind a police cordon look towards Lindt cafe in Martin Place, where hostages are being held, in central Sydney 27/32 Sydney siege Pedestrians are allowed under New South Wales (NSW) police tape during a siege in Martin Place 28/32 Sydney siege Armed police patrol in Sydney. Major landmarks, including the Sydeny Opera House, have been evacuated as police respond to a hostage situation inside a Martin Place cafe 29/32 Sydney siege Firemen are seen at a barricade on Castlereigh Street in Sydney 30/32 Sydney siege A woman is assisted as a group of people are evacuated by police from a building next to Lindt cafe in Martin Place 31/32 Sydney siege Police close a street where a cafe is being used to hold hostages in the central business district of Sydney GETTY 32/32 Sydney siege Police closed roads in the area and also stopped some trains from running after the alert was raised at about 9.45am on Monday local time. EPA 1/32 Sydney siege A woman carried out by police from the Lindt Cafe after police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had been holding hostages 2/32 Sydney siege People run with hands up from the Lindt Cafe as police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman was holding hostages 3/32 Sydney siege Hostages run towards armed tactical responce police as they run to freedom from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney 4/32 Sydney siege An injured hostage is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during the cafe siege in Sydney 5/32 Sydney siege A blood-stained stretcher is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during the cafe siege in Sydney 6/32 Sydney siege Paramedics remove a stretcher covered in a bloodstained blanket from the Sydney cafe stormed by Australian security forces as hostages were being held at gunpoint REUTERS/David Gray 7/32 Sydney siege An injured hostage is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during the cafe siege in Sydney 8/32 Sydney siege Police escort a hostage (2ndR) with the help of a paramedic (R) during a hostage siege in the central business district of Sydney 9/32 Sydney siege Armed Australian police carry out an operation outside the cafe following an operation in the central business district of Sydney 10/32 Sydney siege Armed Australian police engage in an operation outside the cafe following an operation in the central business district of Sydney 11/32 Sydney siege Police push back a member of the public who tried to get into a building located near the Lindt cafe, where hostages are being held, at Martin Place in central Sydney 12/32 sydney-siege-21.jpg A female hostage stands by the front entrance of the cafe as she turns the lights off 13/32 Sydney siege Armed tactical response police personnel stand watch into the evening near a cafe under siege by a gunman at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney 14/32 Sydney siege A hostage runs towards a police officer outside a cafe, where other hostages are being held in Sydney 15/32 Sydney siege A hostage runs towards a police officer outside a cafe, where other hostages are being held, in Martin Place in central Sydney 16/32 Sydney siege A female employee hostage at the cafe manages to escape from the Lindt Chocolate cafe in Martin Place 17/32 Sydney siege A hostage runs to armed tactical response police officers for safety after she escaped from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney 18/32 Sydney siege Two hostages run for cover behind a policeman during a hostage siege in a cafe in Sydney 19/32 Sydney siege A hostage runs to safety outside the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place 20/32 Sydney siege An armed policeman is seen in Phillip St in Sydney 21/32 Sydney siege Police officers position themselves at a corner near Lindt cafe in Martin Place, where hostages are being held, in central Sydney 22/32 Sydney siege A police officer runs across Martin Place near Lindt cafe, where hostages are being held, in central Sydney 23/32 Sydney siege Hostages at the window EPA 24/32 Sydney siege This image taken from video shows a man believed to be a gunman inside a cafe in Sydney 25/32 Sydney siege Catherine Burn, Deputy Commissioner of the Specialist Operations speaks to the media in relation to the Sydney hostage incident at Sydney Police Centre 26/32 Sydney siege People standing behind a police cordon look towards Lindt cafe in Martin Place, where hostages are being held, in central Sydney 27/32 Sydney siege Pedestrians are allowed under New South Wales (NSW) police tape during a siege in Martin Place 28/32 Sydney siege Armed police patrol in Sydney. Major landmarks, including the Sydeny Opera House, have been evacuated as police respond to a hostage situation inside a Martin Place cafe 29/32 Sydney siege Firemen are seen at a barricade on Castlereigh Street in Sydney 30/32 Sydney siege A woman is assisted as a group of people are evacuated by police from a building next to Lindt cafe in Martin Place 31/32 Sydney siege Police close a street where a cafe is being used to hold hostages in the central business district of Sydney GETTY 32/32 Sydney siege Police closed roads in the area and also stopped some trains from running after the alert was raised at about 9.45am on Monday local time. EPA

The footage also shows a bomb disposal expert on the scene and later reports have shown a bomb disposal robot entering the building.

The status of the hostage taker, believed to be an individual known as Man Haron Monis, remain unknown.

Officers motioned the cameras back as the armed response unit appeared to enter the building.

Video: Hostages flee cafe

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