Sydney siege gunman wanted to be a martyr: wife

Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis who held 18 hostages in a Sydney cafe for 16 hours in December once told his now murdered wife he wanted to be a martyr.

A social worker who interviewed his wife Noleen Pal has told the inquest into the siege on Monday that he "changed" from 2007 and became more strict and manipulative.

Pal was concerned about her husband, who had started to change around 2007, becoming manipulative and intimidating.

The social worker told the inquest into the Lindt cafe siege Monday that Pal told her Iranian-born Monis once said he wanted to become a martyr and was "doing it for Islam".

The social worker, who also met Monis, said she couldn't recall asking Monis directly if he said that but felt the "narcissistic" self-styled cleric would have said so only as a form of self- aggrandizement.

Counsel assisting the inquest Jeremy Gormly asked the social worker whether she got the impression Monis wanted to be a martyr.

"No, I got the impression of a man who wanted attention," she said.

The social worker said Pal told her Monis was "quite westernized" when they first met and for the first few years of their relationship.

However he started to change around 2007 and she became "quite alarmed" when police raided their home in 2009.

Monis had written offensive letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers at the time.

Pal told the social worker she felt duped by Monis, who had lied about his age and tried to force her to wear a veil and stop dancing and singing.

"What she described about him was a manipulative man who successfully duped her and eventually intimidated and emotionally blackmailed her," the social worker said in widely quoted media reports.

Two hostages and Monis died in the siege. Endi