The first hostage to give evidence at the inquest into the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege initially thought the Reserve Bank was being robbed until he realised the "danger was inside".
Jarrod Morton-Hoffman has recalled noticing Man Haron Monis sitting alone in the cafe on the morning of the siege, and shortly afterwards talking with manager Tori Johnson at a table.
He said it was this moment that he realised that something was wrong.
He said Mr Johnson looked "frightened", which was unusual, as he sat across from Monis.
He thought something was wrong but has told the inquest into the December 2014 attack that he believed the Reserve Bank in Martin Place was being robbed.
A supplied image obtained Monday, May 25, 2015 of Sydney Lindt Cafe Siege Man Haron Monis Source: AAP
SBS reporter Alyshia Gates is reporting from the inquest.
Morton-Hoffman was ordered by Monis to lock the doors to the cafe.
A short time later, Monis pulled out a shotgun and put on a bandanna with Islamic writing on it.
"The danger was inside the cafe, not outside," Mr Morton-Hoffman told the inquest on Tuesday.
Mr Morton-Hoffman, who helped other hostages escape during the 16-hour ordeal, also told the inquest the "short and pudgy" Monis said Australia was under attack by Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
"This is an attack on Australia by the Islamic State. My brothers and I have bombs around the city."
But he did not believe the gunman's claims about bombs, or that he had explosives in his backpack.
"I thought he was a lone-wolf gunman, ISIS-inspired," he said.
The inquest continues.
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