‘Unforgettable’ Independent ‘Fresh and Thrilling’ Telegraph

THE INSTANT SUCCESS ON THE SUNDAY BESTSELLERS

On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed men stormed the Iranian embassy at Princes Gate, overlooking Hyde Park in London. There, they took 26 hostages, including embassy staff, visitors, and three British citizens.

A tense six-day siege followed, as millions gathered around their screens to witness the largest breaking news broadcast in the history of British television, while police negotiators and psychiatrists tried to find a bloody resolution to the conflict, as the SAS - by then an organization shrouded in mystery - planned a daring rescue operation: Operation Nimrod.

Through unpublished material, exclusive interviews with the SAS, and testimonies from witnesses, including hostages, negotiators, intelligence officers, and the psychiatrist on site, author and historian Ben Macintyre takes readers on a thrilling journey from the weeks and years of preparation on both sides, to the detailed portrayal of the siege and rescue.

By recreating the dramatic conversations between negotiators and hostages, the behind-the-scenes intelligence work transpiring, and the media frenzy surrounding this moment of international significance, The Siege is the remarkable story of what really happened during those critical six days, and the first comprehensive account of a moment that forever changed the way the country thought about the SAS – and itself.

‘The premier historian of the secret world . . . His books have set the gold standard for accurate historical reporting, yet read like gripping thrillers’ Mick Herron

‘Macintyre does real espionage better than anyone else’ John Preston

Pages: 400, Dimensions: 13x13cm