1 gunman, 16 hrs siege, 17 hostages: Aussies deal with aftermath of terror in Sydney

[caption id=“attachment_1851631” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott confirmed on Tuesday that the gunman at the centre of the Sydney siege, in which two hostages were shot dead, was known to the federal police and had an “infatuation with extremism”. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1851633” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Women offer flowers at a makeshift memorial in Sydney. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott also laid flowers at a makeshift memorial in Sydney for the victims of a central city cafe siege which left three people dead. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1851635” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Sam Tiger right, and Abdulrahman El-Lawn perform prayers after a cafe siege in the central business district of Sydney. This was their first prayer of the morning and they prayed for peace and to bring comfort upon those affected especially the hostages and their families. They both made a second prayer directed towards Muslims to make the aftermath a peaceful one. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1851637” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Hundreds of people left flowers at a makeshift memorial in Sydney The gunman and two hostages were killed. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1851639” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Police officers enter a building in Sydney, where three people died in a siege hours earlier. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1851641” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Armed tactical response officers stand by as a stretcher is wheeled past after a siege in the central business district of Sydney. A swarm of heavily armed police stormed the cafe in the heart of downtown Sydney early on Tuesday, ending a siege where a gunman had been holding an unknown number of people hostage for more than 16 hours. A police spokesman confirmed “the operation is over,” but would not release any further details about the fate of the gunman or his remaining captives. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1851643” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] File photo of Man Haron Monis taken in 2011, believed to be the gunman inside the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place, speaks to the media as he leaves the Downing Centre in Sydney after a pre-trial hearing where he is accused of sending offending letters to the families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1851645” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Hostages run to safety during a cafe siege in the central business district of Sydney. After a flurry of loud bangs, police swooped into the Lindt Chocolat Cafe shortly after five or six hostages were seen running from the building. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1851647” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] A bomb disposal officer top right, gets ready to enter the building as emergency personnel rush to aid police after shots were fired during a cafe siege in the central business district of Sydney , Australia. One weeping woman could be seen being carried out by the officers. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1851649” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Emergency response personnel, right, give treatment to an unidentified person after shots were fired and police entered the building during a cafe siege in the central business district of Sydney. AP[/caption]