First picture of Sydney siege gunman: Muslim fanatic who is holding up to 15 people hostage in cafe revealed to be a self-styled sheik from Iran who is on bail for murder of his ex-wife

Man Haron Monis - also known as Sheik Haron - has been named as the gunman holding up to 15 people hostage in a Sydney café and is believed to be an Islamic State preacher who is on bail for accessory to murder. The 49-year-old man lives in southwest Sydney, but is originally from Iran and a self-proclaimed sheik, and has previously accused the families of Australian dead soldiers of being murderers in letters and also been charged with sexual assault. Arriving as a refugee in Australia in 1996, the hostage taker was charged with accessory - both before and after the fact - for the murder of his ex-wife - who was allegedly stabbed and set on fire on a flight of stairs in her apartment building in Sydney. As many as 15 hostages seized by a gunman who stormed a Sydney cafe at morning rush hour on Monday are facing a terrifying night as a siege in the centre of the city continued after dark, hours after five captives made a courageous break for freedom