Army 'set to storm' Lindt Cafe during Sydney siege
The army set up a mock Lindt Cafe during the Martin Place siege and practiced storming the building, it has been revealed.
The drills went on for six hours at the Holsworthy Army barracks, so commandos could work out how to penetrate the building from different entry points.
New South Wales Police say it was to pass on tactical information to its crews, but the revelations are likely to reignite debate on whether they should have handed over the command.
Experts have criticized police response and said that the army would have ended the siege earlier - because that's what they're trained to do.
Gunman Man Monis took 17 people hostage in the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place around 8.30am and the siege ordeal went on for 17 hours on December 15.
Police eventually stormed the building, killing Monis after he executed store manager Tori Johnson. Bullet fragments killed Sydney barrister Katrina Dawson, an inquest earlier this month revealed.
There will be a permanent memorial to the two innocent victims when the cafe reopens later this month.
