The 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege took place between 30th April and 5th May 1980, when six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy in South Kensington, London, taking 26 people hostage, mostly embassy staff, but also several visitors as well as a police officer who had been guarding the embassy. By the sixth day of the siege the gunmen had become increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress in meeting their demands. That evening, they killed one of the hostages and threw his body out of the embassy. As a result, the government ordered the Special Air Service (SAS), a special forces regiment of

The 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege took place between 30th April and 5th May 1980, when six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy in South Kensington, London, taking 26 people hostage, mostly embassy staff, but also several visitors as well as a police officer who had been guarding the embassy. By the sixth day of the siege the gunmen had become increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress in meeting their demands. That evening, they killed one of the hostages and threw his body out of the embassy. As a result, the government ordered the Special Air Service (SAS), a special forces regiment of Stock Photo

RMID:2J0FMN9

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Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo

Image ID:

2J0FMN9

File size:

202.6 MB (8.2 MB Compressed download)

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Dimensions:

10335 x 6851 px | 87.5 x 58 cm | 34.5 x 22.8 inches | 300dpi

Date taken:

5 May 1980

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This image could have imperfections as it’s either historical or reportage.

The 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege took place between 30th April and 5th May 1980, when six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy in South Kensington, London, taking 26 people hostage, mostly embassy staff, but also several visitors as well as a police officer who had been guarding the embassy. By the sixth day of the siege the gunmen had become increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress in meeting their demands. That evening, they killed one of the hostages and threw his body out of the embassy. As a result, the government ordered the Special Air Service (SAS), a special forces regiment of the British Army, to conduct an assault¿Operation Nimrod¿to rescue the remaining hostages. Shortly afterwards, SAS soldiers abseiled from the roof of the building and forced entry through the windows. During the 17-minute raid, they rescued all but one of the remaining hostages, and killed five of the six hostage-takers. Our picture shows ... out of the embassy comes the first body, that of a man whose arm hangs limply from a stretcher, carried by plain clothes police officer Michael Bird (front), Monday 5th May 1980.

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