violence// An armed man took people hostage at a popular café in Sydney and displayed an Islamic flag with Arabic script in the window, sparking a security alert in Australia.

Australian authorities stormed the café where a self-styled Muslim cleric had been holding hostages killing the gunman. They moved in some 16 hours after the siege began, after hearing gunfire inside the Lindt Chocolate café, New South Wales police Commissioner Andrew P. Scipione told reporters.

Two of the 17 hostages initially held by the gunman died, according to Scipione. They were later identified as Katrina Dawson, 38 and Tori Johnson, 34. Other people were injured, including a police officer who suffered a wound to the face from gunshot pellets. All were described by police to be in stable condition.

Authorities sealed off surrounding streets, evacuated people from buildings, and suspended rail services following the incident at the Lindt Chocolate café in Martin Place, in the heart of the Sydney’s business district. Martin Place is a public pedestrian thoroughfare through the heart of Sydney, joining its parliamentary, legal and retail districts.