When was the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and what’s the latest on SAS hero Bob Curry?
BRITAIN'S elite fighting force the Special Air Service (SAS) came to national attention during the 1980 raid on the Iranian embassy.
Let's take a look at what happened during the hostage siege and heroic rescue mission.
What was the Iranian Embassy Siege?
The siege started on April 30, 1980, when six Iranian men forced their way into the embassy at Princes Gate, London.
They took a total of 26 people hostage including a diplomatic protection officer PC Trevor Lock and a team of BBC journalists and crew who were applying for visas.
The ruthless terrorists were from the group the Democratic Revolutionary Front for Arabistan who opposed the Iranian regime led by Ayatollah Khomeini who had seized power in the 1979 revolution.
The group demanded the release of 91 political prisoners in Iran and also wanted a plane to escape the UK with the hostages.
As skilled hostage negotiators talked with the terrorists over the phone, MI5 specialists lowered microphones down the embassy’s chimneys.
Tiny holes were also drilled through the walls, to accommodate listening devices, from the neighbouring buildings as road-work drills rattled outside to disguise the noise.
Before the rescue mission, several female hostages were released along with one male BBC journalist who had feigned stomach cramps.
The six-day siege came to an end when the terrorists executed one of the hostages named Abbas Lavasani.
Lavasani had reportedly argued with the gunmen including the terrorist leader Awn Ali Mohammed, 27, who was given the code name “Salim” by the SAS.
The elite fighting unit, who had been carefully formulating a plan to raid the building, were then called into action.
The rescue mission named Operation Nimrod involved the building being stormed from all sides including the roof.
The team who entered through the roof also dropped an explosive through the skylight to cover their entrance and cause confusion among the terrorists.
Iconic news footage and pictures show the SAS troops abseiling through the windows of the embassy.
The start of the raid was actually rushed when one abseiling SAS fighter accidentally put his boot through a windows.
The elite fighters stormed the building and shot dead all but one of the terrorists.
Leader Salim was found grappling with PC Lock on the ground of a first floor after the brave officer drew his pistol which the incompetent terrorists had failed to notice.
PC lock rolled off Salim when two SAS fighters entered the room who then shot the terrorist dead using their MP5 sub-machine guns.
In one of the most controversial moments of the raid, two of the terrorists who had dropped their weapons were lined up against a wall by the SAS and executed.
And when the hostages were then taken outside and counted, it emerged that a terrorist was hiding among them.
But BBC sound man Sim Harris, who had escaped from the balcony during the raid, identified the man and he was arrested.
A total of 19 hostages were rescued during the mission while five terrorists were shot and killed.
What happened to SAS hero Bob Curry?
Bob Curry served in the Special Air Service for 16 years and took part in the Embassy Siege.
Known to his mates as “Backdoor Bob”, he bravely stormed the rear of the embassy building in 1980 while comrades abseiled from the balcony in iconic TV images.
Now 64, the SAS hero was left homeless after Herefordshire Council was unable to provide him with a home.
The soldier was sleeping on his daughter’s sofa and had to sell his medals in order to make ends meet.
He also lived in B&Bs, paid for by charity handouts, where he was forced to ask for permission to use the bathroom.
The former sergeant is a diabetic and has suffered two heart attacks. He is registered disabled.
He fell on hard times when a business collapsed last July and he lost his home when splitting up with his partner of 25 years.
Proud Bob — who served in the Falklands war and on undercover tours in Northern Ireland — said: "If this can happen to me it can happen to any veteran.
"And it is happening to veterans all over the country."
The Sun backed a petition by SAS legend Andy McNab to urge Herefordshire County Council to recognise Bob’s service to his country and find him a permanent, suitable home.
And, after 400,000 people signed the petition, he has accepted a bungalow.
The Who Dares Wins trooper said: "It’s absolutely brilliant."
He added: "I can’t thank Sun readers enough for helping me get it."
Battling SAS veteran Bob – who will soon move into his new home – said: "I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
"The support they showed me served to put my situation and the plight of other veterans in the spotlight and it has made things happen.
"Now I can see a future and a new lease of life. I wouldn’t have it without the fabulous support of the Sun’s readers."