A Sydney siege hostage has told an inquest she was angry and worried when told that then prime minister Tony Abbott was too busy to speak with gunman Man Haron Monis.
“You don’t tell someone who has a gun pointed at their head that,” Marcia Mikhael said, recounting the remark by a police negotiator that Mr Abbott was a “very busy man”.
Ms Mikhael, a former Westpac project manager, was one of seven hostages to stay in the Lindt Cafe until the siege ended in December 2014.
Three people died in the 17-hour siege, including the gunman.
Ms Mikhael said after she held her hands up near a glass cafe door for two hours, the gunman directed her to phone police negotiators with his demands.
She said a negotiator’s response made her feel anger, frustration and fear.
“I guess when you are under pressure and you are about to die everything counts,” she said.
“I thought he would harm or kill us if provoked.”
She said when Monis first took his gun out of a backpack she thought it was some sort of joke.
“I thought Channel 7 was going to come out of the kitchen and say it’s a prank,” she told the inquest.
The witness said it soon became obvious that Monis could be dangerous.
“He was forcing people to stand near doors and windows. He told us if we escaped someone would die,” she said.
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I recently read a newspaper article which stated the Army had offered the services of the SAS, but the police rejected this, even though the Army regularly carried out hostage scenarios. The Army spokesman said that the bullets used by the NSW police were of a calibre not suitable for a hostage situation and they were right. Kudos to the cops who risked their lives, not so much those overseeing the drama. Hubris comes at a cost.