The South Australian police minister Tony Piccolo has announced in parliament that the man who held police at bay since 1am Thursday has been found dead.
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Police cordoned off Adelaide's CBD near Victoria Square about 1am after reports 46-year-old fugitive Rodney Clavell was hiding at a business premises on King William Street, believed by many to be one of the city's brothels.
The manhunt for Clavell began on May 20 after a warrant was issued for a firearms offence.
Police had raided more than 80 properties looking for Clavell during the past two weeks.
The major operation in the Adelaide CBD lasted 12 hours, with four women believed to be hostages released just before 12pm. The details of his death were discovered after police sent in robots with cameras but cause of death has not yet been released.
In a press conference, Superintendent Harvey would not comment on what sort of business Clavell was holed up in, how they were alerted to his presence, or describe the people with Clavell as hostages.
Mr Clavell wasi involved in a shoot-out with police in 2004 after a chase through the Adelaide Hills.
He was jailed and served his time for the crime.
Superintendent Harvey said police had been aware for 14 days that Clavell was armed and a highest level risk. He said today's siege was unprecendented for Adelaide.
In a conference earlier in the day, Superintendent Harvey said he had hoped for a peaceful ending to the situation.