RELIVES IRAN SIEGE AS NEW FILM CAPTURES DRAMA I kept terror boss talking as the SAS stormed embassy
to its knees. The idea of granting the gunmen safe passage out of the country if they released all the hostages was raised, but eventually discounted.
A May 2 government memo noted that “we should be strongly criticised by our friends and allies and we should be seen to be displaying weakness in the face of terrorism”.
Richard Hastie- Smith, a Cabinet Office official, later said: “Intellectually and emotionallyemot she [Thatcher] had a horror of terrorists and an absolute determin determination not to allow them to win. Ther There was no question of letting them walkwal away. None whatsoever.”
Mr V Vernon said Salim was consideri considering surrendering in the hours before th the SAS teams struck. He said: “I am quit quite convinced we were halfway down the road to him giving up.” But ev everything changed when the bullet-ri bullet-riddled body of embassy press office officer Abbas Lavasani was thrown fro from the building. The SAS were suddenly given the green lightig to go in. When he heard th the shots that killed Lavasani, M Mr Vernon told Salim: “This is a whole different ball game now.” He tried to keep the hostage leader talking on the phone as the 7.23pm raid began.
He said: “I knew he was going to be killed even as I talked to him. The moment they broke in I was redundant. And he was dead.” All but one of the six gunmen were killed. Fowzi Nejad, now 61 and living in Southh London, served 28 years in jail.
Adrenaline
Mr Vernon was emotionallyy drained by the six days of negotiating. He felt he had failed but his approach is seen as a modell way to handle hostage takers.
The SAS team was led by L// Cpl Rusty Firmin, played by Billy Elliot star Jamie Bell in the film.
He said: “What we were waiting for was proof of murder. That was our green light. Adrenaline started flowing as soon as that happened. It took us only a few minutes to get into position, then we got the signal: ‘Go! Go! Go!’”
At the last minute the teams were told not use smoke bombs so there were clear pictures “to show what we did to terrorists”. Mr Firmin, who advised on the film, said: “I’m not interested in diplomatic stuff. Give me the intelligence I need to go in that building.
“How many bad guys, what weapons, what they are wearing. It was that attention to detail that made us successful.” Jamie Bell, 31, wasn’t even born when the siege took place. He said: “I think the first time I saw it was on one of those TV compilation programmes: 20 Most Shocking Moments of British History.
“I remember thinking, ‘This happened in England?’ Those images of men in black abseiling down this ivory building were surreal.” Veteran war reporter Kate Adie, played by actress Abbie Cornish, was covering the siege and gave a live 25- minute running commentary of the attack. She recalled: “It was the snooker world final which was very big news in those days. I imagine I disappointed an aw awful lot of people when they got me instead of Alex Higgins and Cliff Thorburn.” Toa Fraser, 6 Days’ director, said th the clash of ideas over how best to en end the siege attracted him to m making the movie. He said: “I loved that there was th this genuine struggle between those wh who fought to negotiate a peaceful sit situation and those who fought very eff efficiently for the opposite.” Those six days reinforced Th Thatcher’s reputation as the Iron La Lady and, as Tao said: “It was a kind of turning point in history. I’m exc excited to tell that story.”