Sydney Cafe Siege Commander Says Waited for 1st Hostage Death to Act

The commander of the 2014 cafe siege cafe in Sydney, Australia, which resulted in the death of two hostages, said Wednesday that he waited for a person to be killed inside the cafe before sending police in because of the alleged bomb threat.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — An inquest into the details of the siege is ongoing in Australia since Monday. The siege commander, who cannot be named, was asked by the coroner about his decision not to enter the cafe until someone had died inside because the hostage-taker may have had a bomb in his backpack.

"Three people lost their lives because of me, my decision, I can't change that," the commander told an inquest into the details of the siege, admitting that he had to balance the safety of the people inside the cafe against the risks to police and the general public.

On December 15, people were taken hostage in a Sydney cafe by a gunman who was later identified by police as Man Haron Monis, a self-proclaimed Iranian sheikh. Police stormed the building after a 17-hour siege. Three people, including the gunman, were killed in the incident.