SYDNEY - Mourners paid emotional tributes to victims of the Sydney cafe siege Tuesday as volunteers and workers removed a giant sea of flowers laid in their memory amid plans for a permanent memorial.
Iranian-born gunman Man Haron Monis, who had a history of extremism and violence, took 17 hostages in the city's financial heartland last week, unveiling an Islamic flag and demanding to talk to Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
He was killed as armed police stormed the eatery after 16 hours. Two hostages also died - mother-of-three Katrina Dawson, 38, and Lindt cafe manager Tori Johnson, 34 - while several were injured.
The standoff touched a raw nerve in Australia and triggered an outpouring of grief that saw thousands of bouquets laid at a makeshift memorial near the cafe in Martin Place, that grew bigger by the day.
But a week after the tragedy and with storms forecast New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said the time was right to clear the area, with an army of Red Cross workers, volunteers and council officials moving in.
They respectfully collected the flowers, most of which will be mulched and used at a suitable site after consultation with the victim's families, along with countless notes, messages and cards, which will be preserved.
"At an appropriate time we'll also discuss with them (the families) the establishment of a permanent memorial," New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said.
Hostages held in Sydney cafe, Islamic flag seen in window
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The 34-year-old manager of the Lindt Chocolat Cafe, Tori Johnson was shot while trying to grab the gunman's weapon, sources told Australian media.
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Katrina Dawson has been confirmed as one of the two victims killed in the Lindt Chocolate Cafe siege in Sydney. She is a barrister and mother of two daughters and a son. Her youngest daughter is aged 4.
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Killed suspect: Self-appointed Sheikh Man Haron Monis, the extremist Iranian-born gunman with a criminal history.
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Australian security forces opened fire on Tuesday as they stormed the Sydney cafe where several hostages were being held at gunpoint
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Police rescue personnel carry an injured woman from the Lindt cafe, where hostages are being held, at Martin Place in central Sydney December 16, 2014.
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Hostages run towards a police officer (R) near Lindt Cafe, at Martin Place in central Sydney December 16, 2014.
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Self-appointed Sheikh Man Haron Monis, the extremist Iranian-born gunman with a criminal history.
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Two heavily armed police officers assist a hostage away from Lindt Cafe in Martin Place in central Sydney December 16, 2014.
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A heavily armed policeman holds his weapon as paramedics rush towards the Lindt cafe, where hostages are being held, at Martin Place in central Sydney December 16, 2014.
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A hostage (L) runs towards police officers near Lindt Cafe, at Martin Place in central Sydney December 16, 2014.
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Hostages run past a police officer (C) near Lindt Cafe in Martin Place in central Sydney December 16, 2014.
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This screengrab taken from Australian Channel Seven shows the suspected gunman inside a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on December 15, 2014. A gunman was holding terrified hostages inside a Sydney cafe December 15 with an Islamic flag displayed at the window, triggering a lockdown in an area home to government and corporate headquarters
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Screengrab from TV broadcast shows presumed hostages holding up a flag with Arabic writing.
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A hostage runs out of the cafe.
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Two hostages (Lt) run for cover behind a policeman.
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Two men run out of the Lindt cafe.
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Two hostages (far left and far right) escape from the Lindt cafe during a siege by a gunman.
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Two hostages (L) run for cover during a siege of the Lindt cafe.
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A black flag with Arabic writing is held up at the window of the Lindt cafe.
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A hostage runs out of the cafe.
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A hostage runs out of the cafe.
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A hostage escapes from the Lindt cafe.
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A hostage escapes from the Lindt cafe.
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Hostages were being held inside a central Sydney cafe where a black flag with white Arabic writing could be seen in the window.
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Hands are pressed up against the window of the Lindt cafe where hostages are being held.
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Hands are press up against the window of the Lindt cafe where hostages are being held.
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Local television showed scenes of the siege in Sydney on Monday, raising fears of an attack linked to Islamic militants.
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Australia is backing the United States and its escalating action against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
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Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was convening a meeting of the cabinet's national security committee.
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He called it a hostage situation in Australia's commercial capital.
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Australia's backing for the US means it is on high alert for attacks by radicalised Muslims or by home-grown fighters returning from the conflict in the Middle East.
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Dozens of heavily armed police surrounded the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place.
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Martin Place in central Sydney is home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks and close to the New South Wales (NSW) state parliament.
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Live television footage showed patrons inside the cafe standing with their hands pressed against the windows.
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A black and white flag similar to those used by Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria was also visible.
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NSW Police tweeted: "A police operation is underway in Martin Place, Sydney's CBD. People are advised to avoid the area."
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A couple of hundred people were being held back by cordons and the fire brigade's hazardous unit was on the scene.
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The Reserve Bank of Australia, near the cafe, said staff had been locked down inside the building, and were all safe and accounted for.
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Local media reported that the nearby Sydney Opera House had been evacuated after a suspicious package had been found.
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Trains and buses were stopped and roads were blocked in the area, with train operators saying there had been a bomb threat at Martin Place.
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In September, Australian anti-terrorism police said they had thwarted an imminent threat to behead a random member of the public.
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A woman is assisted as a group of people are evacuated by police from a building next to Lindt cafe.
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Police officers gesture near Lindt cafe in Martin Place, where hostages are being held.
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People standing behind a police cordon look towards Lindt cafe in Martin Place.
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Police officers position themselves at a corner near Lindt cafe in Martin Place.
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People standing behind a police cordon look towards Lindt cafe in Martin Place.
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New South Wales state police officers are seen at a corner near Lindt cafe in Martin Place.
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Police officers are seen at a corner near Lindt cafe in Martin Place.
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Police officers walk near Lindt cafe in Martin Place, where hostages are being held.
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The police evacuate employees from the offices next to a cafe where hostages are being held.
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A hostage is being taken to safety.
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A floral tribute to the victims.
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An injured hostage is being rushed to hospital.
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Women comfort one another.
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A floral tribute to the victims.
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An injured hostage is being rushed to hospital.
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Australians from all walks of life mourn victims of the cafe siege.
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Muslims praying at the scene of the dramatic siege.
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Australians from all walks of life mourn victims of the cafe siege.
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A sad and tragic event that darkens the festive spirit as Australians prepare for Christmas.
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Australians from all walks of life mourn victims of the cafe siege.
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Floral tributes to the victims of the cafe siege.
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A sad and tragic event that darkens the festive spirit as Australians prepare for Christmas.
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Australians from all walks of life mourn victims of the cafe siege.
Condolence books were to remain open at the state parliament and the Sydney Opera House until the end of January with a marquee set up near the cafe so people could continue leaving floral tributes.
"The condolence books will be bound in several volumes and one complete copy will be provided to each family," Baird added.
Buddhist monks
A private funeral was held for Johnson -- hailed a hero after reportedly trying to wrestle the gun from Monis -- on Tuesday with hundreds of mourners arriving dressed in black outside the St Stephen's Uniting Church just metres from where he died.
Numerous dignitaries joined them, including Baird and New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, whose own family were in the cafe just moments before the siege started. Some of the hostages were also believed to be at the service.
Johnson's father Ken, partner Thomas Zinn and other relatives carried the white coffin into the church.
Unity was a theme, with the Johnson family using a phrase by Persian poet Rumi on the front-page of the order of service: "Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I will meet you there."
Tears flowed as they left, with five Buddhist priests, dressed in orange and saffron-coloured robes, following Johnson's coffin, murmuring prayers as it was loaded into the hearse.
A memorial for lawyer Dawson, who was having a coffee with a pregnant friend when the cafe was locked down, will be held later Tuesday, with mourners encouraged to wear aqua blue -- her favourite colour.
Monis, who was known to various authorities, was on bail at the time for a string of charges, including sexual offences and abetting the murder of his ex-wife.
The fact he was on the streets, and not under surveillance, saw Prime Minister Tony Abbott order an urgent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the siege.