They were the wires that had police wary.
As he walked around the Lindt cafe, siege gunman Man Haron Monis was wearing a backpack that he told hostages was filled with explosives.
Snipers stationed in the Channel Seven studio across the road could see wires poking out of the backpack and it was one of the reasons they were reluctant to take a shot at the gunman, according to a report from Seven journalist Chris Reason, who was on the scene.
Footage captured through the windows of the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Martin Place clearly shows Monis wearing a large backpack as he creeps around inside the cafe, using hostages as human shields throughout the 16-hour siege.
The sharp images of Monis captured on camera led many to question why, if the cameras could get a clear view of Monis, the snipers did not shoot him earlier?
Reason said Monis had convinced the hostages that he was carrying a bomb, and police had no choice but to take that threat seriously.
One possibility was that the supposed bomb was fitted with a dead man's switch, which would automatically activate if Monis was incapacitated.
However when a police later examined the backpack they discovered an old stereo speaker inside the backpack, revealing just how calculated Monis had been in his movements. There were no explosives in the backpack, as he had claimed.
"It turned out the gunman was carrying an old stereo speaker, but at the time the police didn't know that and had to assume the worst," Reason reported.
Monis had also claimed there were bombs planted around the city, which proved to be false.
Channel Seven's studio in Martin Place is located directly across from the cafe, and provided such an ideal vantage point to view the unfolding hostage situation that a sniper positioned himself within the newsroom throughout the 16-hour siege.
The newsroom was evacuated, but Channel Seven cameraman Greg Parker and journalist Reason were allowed to remain in the studio. Parker fed live images to police command throughout the siege so they could devise an action plan.
Another reason why snipers did not take out Monis earlier was that they were shooting through reinforced glass, meaning it was impossible to predict with precision the path of the bullet. The risk of hitting a hostage was too great, Reason said.
Reason said that Monis yelled at the police tactical team as they raided the cafe.
"We've been told in those terrifying seconds that the police stormed in the Lindt cafe, Haron Monis was heard to scream 'Look what you've made me do!' before the police shot him down," Reason said.
Police have launched a critical incident investigation into the siege, which will formally establish how Monis and two hostages, Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson, died.
Police have declined to comment on specific details of the siege while that investigation takes place.
