Tearful Australians laid mounds of flowers at the site where two of 17 hostages were killed yesterday when police swooped into a Sydney cafe to rescue them from a gunman, who also died in the rescue.

Iranian-born Man Haron Monis was described by Prime Minister Tony Abbott as a deeply disturbed person carrying out a “sick fantasy.”

He was sentenced last year to 300 hours of community service for sending “grossly offensive” letters to families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Mr Monis was later charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife.

Earlier this year, he was charged with the sexual assault of a woman in 2002 although he had been out on bail.

Hostage Katrina Dawson died trying to protect a pregnant companion and it is believed that cafe manager Tori Johnson was killed while trying to take a weapon from the gunman.