Lindt siege: How police were stunned by their grenades
ONE of the crack tactical teams that stormed the Lindt Cafe to bring the 2014 siege to an end have been accused of stunning themselves with their own flashbangs.
NSW
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ONE of the crack tactical teams that stormed the Lindt Cafe to bring the 2014 siege to an end have been accused of stunning themselves with their own flashbangs.
CCTV footage of one of the three Tactical Operations Unit teams played to the siege inquest yesterday shows some of them apparently reeling back as their flashbangs hit the glass doors instead of going into the cafe.
The grenades, known as SF9s, produce an extremely loud bang and intense flashes of light that are designed to disorient targets.
The assault on the cafe by the three highly trained teams — after manager Tori Johnson was shot dead by gunman Man Monis at 2.13am on December 16 — was supposed to be simultaneous, the inquest has heard.
Charlie team went from the fire escape across the foyer from the cafe’s Martin Place entrance, Delta team from the nearby law library and Alpha team through the main Phillip St entrance.
Charlie team was criticised for taking between 19 and 21 seconds to run six paces from the fire escape through unlocked glass doors into the cafe.
By the time their leader, a sergeant codenamed Delta Alpha, entered the cafe, Alpha team had killed Monis.
Barrister Katrina Dawson died after being hit by seven fragments of bullets fired by two members of Alpha team.
Counsel for Ms Dawson’s family Michael O’Connell SC said “speed was of the essence” so the officers could get to Monis before he could fire his shotgun or detonate the bomb he claimed to have.
“Do you regard that 21 seconds as being acceptable in the circumstances?” Mr O’Connell SC, asked Delta Alpha.
The sergeant replied: “Given what was occurring, yes.”
Counsel for the NSW Police Ian Freckelton QC disputed the 21 seconds. He said he made it 19.
Delta Alpha agreed it was “bad luck” that the first stun grenade to be thrown hit the glass doors as the team raced from the fire escape.
As Delta Alpha took his place by the door, getting ready to enter first, another flashbang was thrown which also did not make it into the cafe.
Mr O’Connell said there was evidence none of the team was wearing hearing protection.
“So the disorientating effect was something you would feel?” he put to Delta Alpha.
The sergeant denied he was disoriented. He said officers wore hearing protection in training with “sound and flash” but he left it up to team members on whether they would use it during an operation.
Delta Alpha agreed he could be seen taking his hands off his M4 assault rifle as he removed his night vision goggles because of the bright light.
The inquest has heard that the TOU officers put their lives on the line as they stormed the cafe, believing Monis had a bomb in his backpack.
They did not know until he was dead that it had been a ruse.
Delta Alpha is expected to continue his evidence today.
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