The siege by Ben McIntyre

In May, 1980 six Arabs from Iran stormed the Iranian Embassy in London and took 26 hostages; Iranians, journalists, secretaries, a policeman who was deployed at the embassy, and visitors. They were held for 6 days, the trained negotiators prevaricating, aiming to wear them down, trying to head to a resolution. But the forces involved were preparing for the worst. The London Police terrorist squad was called in, SAS readied for action, a dog squad, specialist listening devices used, roads blocked, people were cleared from the nearby apartment houses, the Ethiopian Embassy next door sequestered. Extraordinarily Royal Albert Hall af ew doors away was presenting Tchaikovsky’s fifth, cannon fire and all. The discussions about its possible cancellation must have been surreal. And Margaret Thatcher was the PM,her second in command, William Whitelaw, both hawkish in theirpolitics.

Ben Macintyre’s incredible research is laid out in a way that impels the reader to absorb every detail. He projects us into the minds of the terrorists and we have a close up of their reasons for doing this. We see that they have been recruited and groomed, their handler flying out the same day, sponsored by Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s dictator, their demands unattainable. They are there to die. But they do not know this. They believe they are bringing world attention to the plight of the minority population of Arabs in Iran.

We also see into the minds of the hostages. Policeman Lock is part of a contingent which guards embassies, the only police in Britain who wears a a gun, but once the siege has started, he is unable to use it against the firepower of machineguns and grenades. He goes to extraordinary lengths to stop the gunmen seeing it on his belt. One of the hostages understands some of the different languages and is able to translate. Meanwhile the police are drilling into the walls enabling them to hear what is going on.The Metropolitan Police are initially involved but as the day progresses the British Army is brought with their remarkable unit, SAS, now arming themselves ready for action. The bullish prime minster is ready to set the team loose. The scene is set for a bloody end.

A marvellous addition to the story of hostage taking around the world, this breathtaking account takes readers behind the scene and into the mindsof all involved. I listened to this via Audible, and found it impossible to put down, finding myself alternatively gasping, sometimes having tears in my eyes,and then laughing with Macintyre’s amazing writing. He points out the absurdities with a wry sense of humour, but never undermining everyone’s bravery and achievements. This siege changedt hings. SAS, usually a secretive branch of the army was exposed, on the spot TV coverage was used for the first time, cutting into the finalists of the World Snooker championship with the remarkable segue, we leave one Embassy (a cigarette company sponsoring the snooker finals) to an embassy in siege.

Themes: Iran, Iraq, Arabs, Terrorism, London, Sieges.

Fran Knight