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| Sydney siege inquest: police feared Monis had accomplice in Lindt cafe | Sydney siege inquest: police feared Monis had accomplice in Lindt cafe |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| There were fears Lindt cafe gunman Man Haron Monis might have had a sleeper agent posing as a hostage helping him from the inside during the deadly December 2014 siege, a senior police officer has revealed. | There were fears Lindt cafe gunman Man Haron Monis might have had a sleeper agent posing as a hostage helping him from the inside during the deadly December 2014 siege, a senior police officer has revealed. |
| Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch has told the siege inquest that while by mid-afternoon on 15 December it was clear, based on information from four police and community sources, that Monis was “one obvious offender”, it was possible he had a “sleeper” on the inside who was helping him. | Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch has told the siege inquest that while by mid-afternoon on 15 December it was clear, based on information from four police and community sources, that Monis was “one obvious offender”, it was possible he had a “sleeper” on the inside who was helping him. |
| That, along with fears Monis had a bomb big enough to kill anyone who was inside the cafe, formed part of their decision not to enact a deliberate action entry, which could have made the deadly ending worse, he said. | That, along with fears Monis had a bomb big enough to kill anyone who was inside the cafe, formed part of their decision not to enact a deliberate action entry, which could have made the deadly ending worse, he said. |
| Tactical officers were forced to enter the cafe when Monis, who had been holding the 18 hostages for more than 17 hours, shot cafe manager Tori Johnson point blank at 2.13am on 16 December. | Tactical officers were forced to enter the cafe when Monis, who had been holding the 18 hostages for more than 17 hours, shot cafe manager Tori Johnson point blank at 2.13am on 16 December. |
| Related: ‘Kneel down and put your hands on your head': the last minutes of the Sydney siege and Tori Johnson's life | Related: ‘Kneel down and put your hands on your head': the last minutes of the Sydney siege and Tori Johnson's life |
| Monis and barrister Katrina Dawson were killed in the gunfight that followed. | Monis and barrister Katrina Dawson were killed in the gunfight that followed. |
| “Whilst two young, innocent Australians lost their lives, we had to consider that it could have been a whole lot worse,” Murdoch told the inquest on Thursday in his second day of evidence. | “Whilst two young, innocent Australians lost their lives, we had to consider that it could have been a whole lot worse,” Murdoch told the inquest on Thursday in his second day of evidence. |
| Multiple times he considered the deliberate action plan, but said he was confident of negotiating an outcome. | Multiple times he considered the deliberate action plan, but said he was confident of negotiating an outcome. |
| “As we’ve seen not only in this instance but other instances here and around the world, if a police tactical team force entry to a stronghold there are going to be casualties,” Murdoch said. “We’ve just got to accept that.” | “As we’ve seen not only in this instance but other instances here and around the world, if a police tactical team force entry to a stronghold there are going to be casualties,” Murdoch said. “We’ve just got to accept that.” |
| Instead police persisted with the contain and negotiate policy, attempting to negotiate with Monis. | Instead police persisted with the contain and negotiate policy, attempting to negotiate with Monis. |
| Murdoch told the inquest that he is now part of a group reviewing the use of that policy in certain situations, including where there is an active shooter, though Monis would not have been regarded as an active shooter until Johnson was killed. | Murdoch told the inquest that he is now part of a group reviewing the use of that policy in certain situations, including where there is an active shooter, though Monis would not have been regarded as an active shooter until Johnson was killed. |
| He said “contain and negotiate” was introduced after the death of David Gundy and the shooting of another man, Darren Brennan, while entering properties in tactical operations. | He said “contain and negotiate” was introduced after the death of David Gundy and the shooting of another man, Darren Brennan, while entering properties in tactical operations. |
| “Since its inception in the early 1990s I couldn’t tell you, couldn’t even guess, how many times this strategy has been applied – and overwhelmingly has been applied successfully,” he said. | “Since its inception in the early 1990s I couldn’t tell you, couldn’t even guess, how many times this strategy has been applied – and overwhelmingly has been applied successfully,” he said. |
| But it was called into question in the United States and internationally following the 1999 Columbine high school shooting where while police contained the outside, teen gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold continued to kill people inside. | But it was called into question in the United States and internationally following the 1999 Columbine high school shooting where while police contained the outside, teen gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold continued to kill people inside. |
| A policy introduced in the US around active shooters has been broadly accepted worldwide, Murdoch said, adding NSW was in the throes of introducing similar policies. | A policy introduced in the US around active shooters has been broadly accepted worldwide, Murdoch said, adding NSW was in the throes of introducing similar policies. |
| Murdoch also told the inquest snipers positioned around the Lindt cafe could have faced criminal prosecution if they shot Monis at any time before Johnson was killed. | |
| He said while Monis was armed with a gun and what was believed to be an explosive device, NSW police were not in the practice of “arbitrarily assassinating people who are involved in criminal incidents”. | |
| He said police are trained not to shoot a suspect unless there is death or serious injury, and doing so outside those circumstances opens up an officer to the risk of prosecution. | |
| Murdoch said he did not believe those requirements were met during the period he commanded the operation. | |
| “From my understanding and from the vision I’ve seen of Monis walking around inside the cafe, we were a long way from being assured that a shot would be justified,” he said. |