Tearful Australians mourn hostages killed in siege

SYDNEY - Agence France-Presse

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (L) and his wife Margaret lay wreaths at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a fatal siege in the heart of Sydney's financial district on December 16, 2014. AFP Photo

Tearful Sydney office workers and Muslim women in hijabs laid flowers Tuesday at the scene of a deadly siege, as an outpouring of grief and shock gripped the usually easy-going harbour 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, as he approached with a large bouquet.
      
"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. Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph conveyed the national mood with its front-page headline: "Evil Strikes Our Heart".
      
Social media was flooded with expressions of fear and dismay, and pictures of the distinctive city harbour and skyline emblazoned with the hashtag #prayforSydney.
      
"I will ride with you", read one note attached to a hand-picked bouquet in Martin Place, 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.
      
"I don't think I could be sadder," New South Wales state Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said as he looked at the floral tributes, where emotional onlookers sobbed.
      
"That's the only thing we can do to show our feelings," said Zully Carro, with tears in her eyes after placing flowers on the growing pile. "But to those kids who are not going to have a mother again, these flowers are not going to be any relief to them."        

While the siege was underway, Martin Place attracted curious onlookers. But on Tuesday the mood was sombre as hundreds of people, Prime Minister Tony Abbott among them, paid their respects and signed condolence books.
      
"It just doesn't feel the same today. Martin Place is such a beautiful area but today I just feel numb," said onlooker Terri Lucia.
      
"I just feel that we've lost something, something that I felt that we were protected from, and that's... so upsetting. I feel we lost our innocence yesterday."                       

The nation 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.
      
Rather than the work of a terrorist cell, the cafe siege was staged by a self-styled sheikh facing dozens of serious charges including involvement in his wife's murder, and sex offences stemming from his time as a "spiritual healer".
      
But the shock of the bloodshed, and the death of people who had been going about their ordinary morning ritual of buying a coffee on their way to work, was too much for many.
      
"That could have been absolutely anyone and... they've done nothing. They are completely innocent and to lose their lives, for those poor families, it's just really heartbreaking," Angelica Haifa told AFP.        
Mirella Rigo, overcome with emotion, rushed through the crowd to embrace a Muslim woman laying flowers at the memorial to show her solidarity with the Islamic community.
      
"It's heartfelt," she told AFP. "I think to make them see they are not responsible for this."        

 Veiszadeh, one of several representatives from the Muslim community at the scene, said she had been moved by the response of ordinary Australians.
      
"The tragedy that unfolded in Sydney yesterday has really brought Australians together -- irrespective of our backgrounds, religious or racial identities," she told AFP after laying flowers at the site.