We all should always be aware where ever we travel of the danger of terrorist attacks. You do not have to be in some sort of war zone to be caught in some kind of firefight or to be bombed, it can and does happen all to frequently in the safest of all country's even your own. no one even thinks to tell us how to react if and when we are caught up in such an attack.
We all live in uncertain times, it might be the uncertainty of the economic climate or we might just be a little bit uncertain of traveling to other countries because of terrorism. but as certain atrocities in the UK and the USA have shown we are not even safe in our own countries. So with this in mind its a good time to remind ourselves of how to cope when we get caught in a terrorist attack.
Terrorism is something that we all must live with, in most countries that we visit there will be some form of terror. So how do we live with it and what must we do when caught up in a terrorist attack?
It all depends what kind of attack it is, it might be on your flight in the aircraft its self or it could be in your hotel as it was in Mumbai India, or in the rail station at the same place. On the other hand, you could be just getting your visa from an Embassy, whatever the scenario you must always be prepared for the worst.
I have a small insight to what happens when a person is caught in such circumstance's as my dad used to rescue hostages in terrorist situations and over the last few months we have talked about what happens and what a person should do. Without a doubt if you are, going to be caught up in one of these situations then hopefully it will be in the UK. Now no one wants to be caught in these terrible situations but in The UK they are best at dealing with any hostages taken, it might be on a train aircraft or in a building but rest assured that you will be rescued and at a minimum loss of life.
First, let us look at how not to be taken in the first place. Look to your Government information on countries that there is renewed terrorist activity, if there is renewed activity then think carefully about going to that country can that visit wait if it can then don't go. But if it is imperative that you must go then take precautions do not wear clothes that make you stand out in the crowd you will be the first target to be taken, keep to yourselves don't bring attention to yourself, don't flash the cash about, in other words try to be invisible.
When you see on the television VIPs being escorted in country's that have a terrorist activity you often see the escort walking in front and at the back of the VIP with weapons on show and wearing sunglasses chewing gum and looking tough. It makes my family smile at them and my father always says when he seer's such men, dead men walking, that is because they are making themselves targets, all the world and its dogs of war can see them walking a mile away. they look like they are tough and maybe they are, but the best one at close protection are the ones you don't see, they plan meticulously, they dress in suits as to look like everyone around them as they escort the VIP to his destination, they are there but in the background, and that is the secret of not being seen as a tourist the ability to be one of the locals
Now let me tell you what happens when and if you are taken as a hostage. Luckily I have never been taken as a hostage, but my dad knows what exactly happens as he has rescued hostages in the early seventies. When I found out that this is what he did at first he would not say too much, then one day he found out that I was going to a country that hated the British to an unusual extent, so he took me aside and told me exactly what to do if I was taken. Follow this advice and you will not go far wrong and you might just survive. There are no guarantees in life and anything could happen when being rescued.
First thing to do is again make yourself invisible never look the hostage taker in the eye look anywhere at the floor at the ceiling but never in the eye. To look the hostage taker in the eye could be a death sentence he will remember you and when there comes a time when he is going to kill someone to make a point it will be the person that he remembers that will be picked out. do not ague with him or her, they don't care with what you are thinking or if you have children. try to get rid of your passport throw it away hide it burn it do what ever is necessary so that the terrorist does not know that you are an American or British, if they ask you what country that you come from tell them that you come from Canada if you are an American, and Ireland if you come from Britain, your in the lap of the Gods on this one but by telling them that you come from those two country's it just might save your life as to days terrorists have no quarrel with those two, country's but of course this will only work if you have got rid of your documents.
If you can sit with your back to an outside wall never sit by a door or a window if it is at all possible, doors and windows and to some extent the inside walls are entry points for the rescue team.
If you are offered food and water take it, food gives you strength water you must drink to stay alive a body soon becomes dehydrated, if you must go to the toilet and at some point you will ask politely some will let you go to the toilet some wont if it's the latter then do it in your pants, don't forget everyone in the room is in the same situation so again don't make a scene it only brings attention to yourself.
Now my dad tells me that when a situation happens in Britain, the SAS are put on standby from the start so rest assured that just because you don know what is happening it does not mean that you have been forgotten far from it. The SAS have trained for such occasions and they will be on there way.
What exactly happens when you are being rescued? There will be a four men SAS team waiting for the word to rescue you, in other countries there may be more but in the UK there will only be four men that will enter what ever room you are in. why four well four is just enough to get the job done anymore and they would get in the way of each other. There are three ways of entry door window and wall; mostly it will be the door and window. Remember what I said in the early part of this hostage scenario about sitting by a door or a window.
The men will form a plan to enter the building and any room that you are in, they will have practiced entering and killing any terrorists for months, in fact my dad did it every day for one year without having to do it for real it was only into the second year that the call came and he had to do it for real. They will never enter if they think the plan will go wrong they will make sure that it is workable at all times. And by the way they will know every position of every person in the room, my dad wont tell me how they know for security reasons but they do know, they will never go in blind they will have know every movement of every person for some time
There are subtle changes just before they enter to rescue you, there will be a little bit more noise outside the building you might hear commercial aircraft go over head flying a bit lower than usual, or a lorry or a bus will come past making a little bit more noise than usual, if you can pick up on any of these changes then you are going to be rescued in the next few moments. The noise is to help the entry team to enter the building without alerting the terrorists. Do not under any circumstance make it known to anybody in the room, just calmly brace yourself for what is about to happen.
In most cases the phone will ring just before the moment of entry, this is to give the terrorists one last chance to surrender. If they do fine it is all over without any bloodshed. If they don't then they do not get anymore time.
At the moment of entry there will be an explosion outside of the building, this to distract the terrorists, at that moment the men standing just outside the door or abseiling down the outside of the building will burst into the room. Either by shooting of the hinges of the door or any locks, or by bursting through the chosen windows.
What happens when the soldiers enter the room?
The reason that only four men enter the room is that by using only four men they cover every arch of fire; in actual fact only three men enter the fourth soldier stays outside to cover his comrades and he only enters if one of the soldiers goes down. The entry team leader will enter first, just before he enters the soldier behind him will throw in what is called a flash bang grenade, all this does is explode with a loud bang and a bright flash of light. It disorientates every one in the room giving vital seconds for the soldiers to take out any terrorist. As the first man enters he steps to the left and firers is weapon at his chosen target,the men call it a double tap two short bursts of gunfire at the chosen target. the second man enters and steps to his right and does the same with his weapon, the third just steps into the room and does the same, they will double tap every terrorist in the room
Now this is very important never ever try to help in anyway you will only get in the way and you will risk your life, never play the hero. The next point is also important, it has been known for terrorists to hide themselves amongst the hostages, sometimes some of them will try and make friends with the hostages as the hostage situation continues, it is called the Stockholm syndrome, if this happens and they try to hide among you then point them out.
It is sad to say but they will be shot, at this moment in time the soldiers cannot take them prisoner they do not know if they are hiding any explosives and there top priority is to get all the hostages out safely, this means killing every terrorist in the room. Never forget that they have had every opportunity to surrender and have chosen not to.
Once the room is secured the next thing that happens is that every person in the room will be forced to there feet and cable tied and thrown non to gently out of the building, there will be a long line of soldiers and they will be passed from soldier to solder till they are out of the building. Once out of the building they will be verified to who they are and then taken to hospital.
Hopefully this will never happen to you when you travel but its nice to know that there are men just like my dad that are or were willing to risk there lives to save others