1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa
1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa | |
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Turkish Embassy, Ottawa | |
Deaths | 1 |
Perpetrators | Armenian Revolutionary Army |
The 1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa was the storming and attack that took place on 12 March 1985 by agents of the
Inside the embassy, the assailants rounded up hostages, including the wife of the Turkish ambassador, his teenage daughter, and embassy staff members—at least 12 people.[2] The attack resulted in a single death, on-duty security officer Claude Brunelle—a 31-year-old student from the University of Ottawa—who shot at the gunmen and was shot in return, being killed instantly.[3][4]
Background
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The 1985 attack was the third assault on
The attack
The storming of the embassy on Wurtemberg Street, in Ottawa's embassy district about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Parliament Hill, began shortly before 7 a.m., when three militants in a rented moving truck arrived at the embassy gate. They scaled the security gate and began shooting at the bulletproof security hut. Security officer Claude Brunelle, a 31-year-old student from the University of Ottawa, was on duty. As soon as the attack began, Brunelle called in the emergency code and left the hut to confront the gunmen. He fired four shots at the gunmen and took two shots in the chest, which killed Brunelle instantly.[3][4]
Using a powerful homemade
The police response was almost immediate. Within three minutes, officers were on the scene. Four hours later, the gunmen released all hostages and surrendered
Indictment and trial
The attackers—Kevork Marachelian, 35, of
Chahe Philippe Arslanian, a lawyer for two of the accused, said that his clients were not guilty: "It's evident that surely it was not a criminal act, but a political act," Arslanian told reporters.[9] A year later, on 14 October 1986, the three men went on trial. An
After the
Marachelian and Noubarian were released from prison on 19 February 2010.[13] Titizian was also released during April 2010 and sent to Armenia on the day of his release to join his family living in that country.
Consequences
The attack on the Turkish Embassy was a major international embarrassment for Canada. For years, foreign diplomats in Ottawa had asked the Canadian government for better security, but to no avail. Turkey declared Ottawa to be one of the most dangerous places in the world for Turkish diplomats.[3] Canada needed a unit that was capable of defeating a determined and well-armed group of militants.[14] This need was ignored until the 12 March 1985 attack on the embassy: the event changed the Canadian government's attitude toward militants and led to the creation of the RCMP Special Emergency Response Team.[15][3]
Claude Brunelle was awarded the Star of Courage for delaying the assailants long enough to allow the Turkish Ambassador to escape.[4][2]
References
- ^ Deadly embassy attack in Ottawa CBC Archives. March 12, 1985. Accessed 2009-06-11. Archived 2009-06-15.
- ^ a b c d e f "Three charged with murder in siege." The Globe and Mail. March 13, 1985
- ^ a b c d e f Our 'Men in Black' (Part 1). The Ottawa Citizen. February 9, 2002 Saturday Edition, pg. B1 / Front
- ^ a b c "Decorations for Bravery: M. Claude Gerard Brunelle, S.C." Governor General of Canada. 2009-04-30. Archived from the original on 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ a b Foreign Desk. March 13, 1985. "Turks’ Embassy in Ottawa Seized." The New York Times. Late City Final Edition. Section A; Page 3, Column 2.
- ^ Hugh Pope, "Opinion: Turkey and Armenia Inch Forward: Over soccer, the two countries' leaders begin to work on the future instead of getting mired in the past." Los Angeles Times, September 16, 2008.
- ^ World Notes Canada. Time Magazine. Monday, Mar. 25, 1985
- ^ a b 3 go on trial over slaying at embassy. The Globe and Mail (Canada). October 14, 1986. News; Pg. A18
- ^ Raid 'political act': lawyer . The Globe and Mail (Canada). March 13, 1985
- ^ "3 Armenians Convicted In Attack in Ottawa". The New York Times. Reuters. November 1, 1986. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ a b c "Spectators weep as 3 sentenced to life in Turkish Embassy slaying." The Globe and Mail. November 1, 1986. p. A13.
- ^ Turkish diplomat survived 1985 embassy siege: Ambassador hurled himself out window during attack by Nick Petter. The Ottawa Citizen, Ontario, Canada. March 7, 2005 Final Edition
- ^ Armenians who occupied Turkish embassy released in Canada Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine. News.az, February 14, 2010
- ISBN 978-1-897113-39-4. Pg 221
- ISBN 9781100189345. Retrieved 28 July 2019.