Tony Abbott lays flowers at Sydney memorial

Policemen secure Martin Place in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 15, 2014. A gunman, who held an unknown number of people hostage in a downtown cafe in Martin Place of Sydney on Monday, has been identified after five hostages managed to flee the hours-long siege.
Policemen secure Martin Place in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 15, 2014. A gunman, who held an unknown number of people hostage in a downtown cafe in Martin Place of Sydney on Monday, has been identified after five hostages managed to flee the hours-long siege.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott laid flowers at a makeshift memorial here and mourned the death of the victims of the terror attack in which three people, including the gunman, were killed.

Accompanied by his wife Margie, the prime minister laid flowers at Martin Place in this Australian city, Sydney Morning Herald reported.

A gunman took over 30 people hostage at Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Sydney’s bustling central business district Monday, days ahead of Christmas.

Three people, including the gunman, the cafe manager aged 34, and a woman barrister aged 38, were confirmed dead while four people were injured after a 16-hour hostage crisis ended Monday.

The prime minister and his wife left a bouquet each and a note before signing the condolence books set up on a trestle table at the side of the shrine.

The visit lasted only a few minutes and they didn’t speak to anybody before returning to their cars. It’s not known what they wrote in the books as organisers immediately took them off display.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke to Australian Premier Tony Abbott and appreciated his leadership that led to resolving the Sydney hostage crisis.

“Had a telephone conversation with PM @TonyAbbottMHR on the hostage crisis in Sydney,” Modi said in a tweet.

“Appreciated PM @TonyAbbottMHR’s leadership that led to resolving of the crisis and release of the hostages, which included two Indians,” he added.

Modi also condoled the loss of lives in the incident to the victim’s families.

“Two innocent people lost their lives in the hostage crisis. My deepest condolences to their families,” he said.

Many people, including two Indians, were taken hostage at a popular cafe in Sydney in Australia by a gunman Monday. The crisis ended with the police storming the cafe and killing the gunman.