Dramatic scenes ended a tense hostage situation early Tuesday in Sydney, with sounds of an explosion and gunfire as Australian police stormed a cafe where a gunman had hours earlier taken more than 10 people hostage. "The whole moment seemed to begin by the escape by our count of six or seven hostages; they ran out from the right-hand side of the cafe and flew down the steps and into the arms of the waiting police," Channel 7 reporter Chris Reason told CNN. "At that point there were a couple of minutes of silence, a police unit moved in; we could see them in dark uniforms, night-vision goggles on, looking toward the door. There was a shot fired -- we think that at that point that it was the gunman firing a shot. We heard from one police officer saying that a hostage was down and at that point the police moved in," Reason said.
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Explosions and gunfire heard as police storm Sydney cafe, ending siege
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Police move in after more hostages escape
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High-profile attack in Sydney's central business district unprecedented
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Streets usually bustling with city workers, tourists and shoppers
Beyond the train station are the studios of @placeholder network Channel 7, whose huge glass windows act as the backdrop for early-morning programming, and where crowds are encouraged to gather.