Several of the 17 other hostages, along with New South Wales Premier Mike Baird, attended the funeral service for Johnson, the manager of the cafe, at St Stephen’s Uniting Church. More than 1,000 people also went to a separate memorial service for Ms Dawson at the University of Sydney, where the barrister was a student. Abbott said the level of Australia’s National Terrorism Public Alert System would not be raised. “I am alerting people to the fact that the terror threat remains high and as you all understand, at this level, an attack is likely,” he said. “That’s why it’s important that people remain alert and aware, as well as reassured that our police and security agencies are doing everything they humanly can to keep us safe.” The threat level was raised to “high” in September, with officials citing concerns about the threat posed by citizens returning to Australia after fighting for Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, and those actively supporting extremist groups within the country. Its critics insist, however, that Australia’s military involvement against Islamic State in Iraq has made it more of a target for militant networks at home, our correspondent adds. The authorities have not classified the cafe siege as a terrorist attack. Monis, a self-styled cleric who was originally from Iran, had a history of religiously-motivated activism and displayed a black flag bearing the shahada – the Islamic statement of faith – during the siege. However, officials have said there is as yet no evidence that his actions were linked to global jihadist networks like Islamic State.