Sydney siege: Hostages escaped when the gunman Man Haron Monis 'let his guard down'

During the lengthy siege, Monis forced his captives to contact media outlets and relay his demands

Hostages flee the building in Sydney (AP)

A group of hostages held by a self-styled Islamic preacher in a 16-hour siege in Sydney, were able to escape when Man Haron Monis' back was turned, it has been revealed.

Monis and two hostages were killed in the dramatic siege at a Lindt café in Sydney’s Martin Place, which ended when army commandos stormed the building. Police confirmed that officers shot Monis dead, but did not disclose whether the hostages were caught in the crossfire, or killed by Monis.

Katrina Dawson, a 38-year-old barrister and mother-of-two who worked in Sydney's central business district was named locally as one of the victims, alongside Tori Johnson, a 34-year-old café manager. Both were killed after armed officers stormed the Lindt Café in the heart of Sydney’s business district, fearful that the prospect of doing nothing could have resulted in more loss of life.

Katrina Dawson, a 38-year-old barrister and mother-of-two who worked in Sydney's central business district was named locally as one of the victims (EPA)

At around 9:30am, hours into the harrowing incident, a handful of panicking captives seized the opportunity to flee from a fire door when gunman Monis dropped his guard.

Angered by their move, Monis told captives he we would take “an eye for an eye”, and forced a 19-year-old hostage to telephone Australia’s Daily Telegraph newspaper and relay his demands.

"If someone else runs, someone dies," the terrified young man quoted Monis as telling his captives.

Among the hostages who Monis used to voice his demands to different media outlets, including Channel Nine, the young man told a Daily Telegraph reporter that Monis had a gun to his head as he spoke.

A hostage escapes from the Lindt cafe

He said the group needed help, "but that will only happen if demands are met[...] We have been treated very well."

The fifth of the first group of hostages to escape has been widely named as Elly Chen, a 22-year-old barista and student, who is shown pelting from the café into the arms of a Police Rescue squad officer in photos from the scene.

During the lengthy siege, Monis also made hostages send his demands via messages to loved ones and social media status updates.

Some posts warned that there were other bombs hidden in the city, in streets surrounding Martin Place, and that there were two "brothers" in control of the detonation of the devices if the requests were not met.

The mother of one hostage phoned a local radio station to say she had received a chilling text message from her son.

Monis also posted three videos to YouTube, showing three women reciting his demands - including a request to speak to Prime Minister Tony Abbott directly.

"The brother has looked after us all, we are very tired, we’ve got pregnant ladies in here and sick and elderly and the very, very young staff who deserve to have a decent normal life," an unidentified woman, who appeared before an Isis-style black flag, said in a video, Mail Online reported.

She added that Monis was standing beside her, and she could therefore not say anymore - fearing she would compromise her and her fellow hostages’ safety.

"Get us the hell out of here please,” said pleaded.

In the wake of the tragic incident, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a statement: "Australians awoke to the news this morning that the siege in Martin Place had ended.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two deceased hostages, the wounded and the other hostages.

"I commend the courage and professionalism of the New South Wales Police and other emergency services involved."

Mr Abbott said Commonwealth agencies would continue to provide support and the country's national security committee would meet to review the incident.

Monis, an Iranian-born extremist, had attracted attention in recent years by writing offensive letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan and was sentenced to 300 hours of community service.

He was also banned in 2010 from sending similar "letters of condolence" to the families of British soldiers killed in that conflict.

It is believed Monis was on bail after he was arrested earlier this year over sexual assault allegations stemming from 2002, and was also reportedly charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife.

His former lawyer said he believed Monis was acting alone and was not part of a terrorist conspiracy.

Manny Conditsis told the ABC: "This is a one-off random individual. It's not a concerted terrorism event or act. It's a damaged goods individual who's done something outrageous.

"His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness."

Adam Houda, a well-known Sydney solicitor who had represented Monis, described him as "mad as a cut snake".

Additional reporting by PA