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December 17, 2014

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Australia mourns siege hostages

Source: Agencies | December 17, 2014, Wednesday | Print Edition

TEARFUL Sydney office workers and Muslim women in hijabs laid flowers yesterday at the scene of a deadly siege, as an outpouring of grief and shock gripped the usually easy-going harbor city.

Nearby florist kiosks struggled to keep up with demand as well-wishers created a sea of bouquets in an impromptu memorial at Martin Place, the city square where the 16-hour drama unfolded.

“Just the fact that something like this has never happened before in Australia, and it just makes you feel so sad,” said Tom Harris, who works on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. “And I just feel so sad and just feel sorry for the poor people, especially at Christmas time.”

Emotions were raw as Australia dealt with the news that the Lindt chocolate cafe had been stormed in the early hours by heavily armed police, ending the siege in the heart of Sydney’s financial district.

Most of the hostages escaped but the cafe manager, 34, and a 38-year-old mother-of-three lay dead while six more people were injured, including three women with gunshot wounds.

The attack staged by Iranian-born Islamist gunman Man Haron Monis, who also died, rocked the country.

“I will ride with you,” read one note on a bouquet, referring to the campaign for solidarity with the Muslim community that has seen tens of thousands tweet the hashtag #illridewithyou.

Flags on all government buildings were ordered to be flown at half mast.

Security alert

Australia has been on a raised security alert for months, after police in September disrupted an alleged plot by Islamic State supporters to abduct and behead a member of the public.

The self-styled sheikh had been charged as an accessory to murder and with multiple sexual offences. He also harbored deep grievances against the Australian government and had found little kinship in the city’s large Muslim community, where he was seen as deeply troubled.

Monis was described as a loner. Last year he was charged as an accessory to the stabbing murder of his ex-wife, who was set alight in a Sydney apartment block. He was charged this year with more than 40 counts of sexual or indecent assault against women in Sydney, according to court documents.

He was also found guilty in 2012 of sending threatening letters to the families of eight Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan and sentenced to two years in prison, although he served only a portion of that penalty.

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