Lindt cafe in Sydney reopens after siege

March 22, 2015

The in Sydney, Australia reopened on Friday, after a siege at the cafe three months ago killed one of its employees, Tori Johnson, and a customer, Katrina Dawson.

On December 15, the cafe was taken hostage by a gunman,. The siege lasted for over sixteen hours until the gunman was taken down. On Friday the cafe had its reopening with Joel Herat, one of the survivors of the siege, back at work.

Two plaques, in the honor of the employee and customer who died, were put up at the front door entrance. The CEO of Lindt Australia, Steve Loane, praised the reopening. A note on a flower bouquet outside the entrance read, "The light shines in the darkness and darkness has never put it out." Herat said "It was extremely important for me to be here and support Lindt and support the people I work with."

Herat also notes of Tori Johnson, the manager of the cafe who was killed during the hostage situation, "He was the first person who'd come and greet me at the door, so that'll take a long time to adjust to". The premier of New South Wales,, attended the reopening too. He said, "They [cafe staff] are there because they believe in those who went through what they did". The premier also praised Herat.