1980 iranian embassy siege
A historical event that took place from 30 April to 5 May 1980, after a group of six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy on Prince's Gate in South Kensington, London. The gunmen were Iranian Arab terrorists campaigning for sovereignty of Khuzestan Province. They took 26 hostages, including embassy staff, several visitors, and a police officer.
By the sixth day, the gunmen proceed to kill a hostage and threw his body out of the embassy on the evening. The Special Air Service (SAS) initiated "Operation Nimrod" to rescue the hostages, abseiling from the roof and forcing 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. The sole remaining gunman served 27 years in prison.
The SAS raid became the subject of multiple documentaries and works of fiction, including several films and TV series.
