The heroes of the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege
After you’d had a chat with them, you were mentally exhausted. I knew if I’d made a mistake, there was a damn good chance that someone could die
It's one of the most famous hostage rescues in history - armed terrorists took 26 hostages inside the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980, and after six days of tense negotiations, SAS commandos stormed the building to bring it to a dramatic end.
The rescue was broadcast live on TV, gripping the nation and it was the first time the public had seen the highly secretive SAS in action. Now, nearly 40 years later, their daring mission has been turned into a film.
Today we were joined by two of the heroes from the siege, chief negotiator Max Vernon, and former SAS soldier Rusty Firmin, who famously was pictured with ungloved hands amid the action.
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