The Sydney Siege: Part Two

15 hostages remain. For some, 10 hours of terror still awaits them.  On the afternoon of December 15, 2014, offices were evacuated and rumours spread of bombs planted all around Sydney city, while hostages remained trapped inside the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place.  One of Sydney’s most bustling pedestrian thoroughfares, which sat on the doorstep of the Lindt Cafe, was empty and deathly silent. Terrified men and women could be seen inside the large windows, a stark contrast to the festive Christmas decorations that hung beside them.  Even though Man Monis, a radicalised terrorist, had forced hostages to turn in their mobile phones, some had hidden theirs within the cafe, meaning messages were slowly trickling out.  Monis’ demands were not being met by police, radio stations or the Prime Minister at the time, Tony Abbott, and he was becoming increasingly agitated.  But it was when three men escaped, that Monis’ temper reached a crescendo. With a gun to hostage Louisa Hope’s back, he threatened to shoot.  These wouldn’t be the last hostages to escape over the course of the 16 hour siege, and it wouldn’t be the last time Monis threatened to shoot.  In part two, we begin with the second escape, and the response of Monis, who was becoming more agitated by the minute. Listen to part one of our Sydney Siege series here  https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/true-crime-conversations/the-sydney-siege/  Click through to our website for photos and maps to accompany this episode. https://www.mamamia.com.au/lindt-cafe-sydney-siege/ Mia Freedman has also interviewed siege survivor Louisa Hope on the No Filter podcast. You can listen to that full interview here https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/no-filter/louisa-hope-sydney-siege/. Be part of our big annual podcast survey -  https://surveys.globaltestmarket.com/survey/selfserve/1aab/13100768/13100768_CS   Join our closed Facebook group where episodes are discussed by searching True Crime Conversations on Facebook. GUEST: Deborah Snow HOST: Jessie Stephens PRODUCER: Elise Cooper ADDITIONAL AUDIO AND RESEARCH “Siege: The powerful and uncompromising story of what happened inside the Lindt Cafe and why the police response went so tragically wrong” by Deborah Snow https://bit.ly/38n1tJ9  4 Corners “The Siege: Part Two - A Four Corners special two-part investigation” ABC Television https://bit.ly/2LZDIxl  60 Minutes Australia “The Siege Survivors” Channel 9 Network https://bit.ly/2M1PS8S  Sky News Australia “Two more hostages escape Sydney cafe siege” Sky Network Television https://bit.ly/2S99k7F  Euronews “Sydney siege: Five hostages flee cafe” Euro News NetworkBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.