1. S3- 1 Embassy Takeover

2. S3- 2 Embassy Takeover 0930 - The central police office in Tirana receives a report from a roving patrol car that there is a disturbance at the Italian Embassy. Shots were heard. 0940 - Preliminary report from the scene is that four or five men broke from a visa line on the outside of the Embassy taking the Italian Consul hostage and forcing their way through the security system, and apparently now control the inside compound. All of the intruders are armed with automatic weapons.

3. S3- 3 Embassy Takeover (continued) 0942 - The interior ministry receives a call from the Italian Ambassador. He advises that the Embassy is under armed occupation by a group demanding the release of 12 men being held in a Bari jail for illegal entry to Italy and a drug smuggling operation with an Italian ring. The hostage ring leader takes over the phone, and announces his demands to be met by 1100: A plane and means of safe passage to the airport Release of the 12 “political prisoners” in Italy 1$ million Failure to meet the demands will result in the group shooting the Embassy occupants, one by one.

4. S3- 4 Embassy Takeover (continued) 0945 - The American Embassy advises that it received word that the U.S. Embassy Economic Counselor and a German Embassy official were in the Italian Embassy for a routine meeting and apparently are among the hostages. The U.S. Ambassador’s office had received a telephone call from the hostage takers, urging that he use his influence with the Italian Government to release the “12 political prisoners or else the American would be the first to go.”

5. S3- 5 Embassy Takeover (continued) 0950 - The police report receiving a call from a cell phone at 0945 in Italian from a female who whispered the following account. She was hiding in a broom closet only 20 feet from the entrance to the Ambassador’s office and could observe the movement into and out of his office. “Bad people were in charge. She couldn’t say much for fear of discovery, but would call back in 30 minutes.” The delay in reporting her call had been the time required to find an Italian speaker.

6. S3- 6 Embassy Takeover (continued) 0955 - The MFA calls noting that the Italian government promised that every measure would be taken to ensure the safety of the Embassy occupants, and that it was attempting to gain the full story of the so- called “12 political prisoners” in Bari.

7. S3- 7 Embassy Takeover (continued) 1000 - Police records in Tirana contain no information on 12 prisoners in Bari.

8. S3- 8 Embassy Takeover (continued) 1003 - The rapid reaction team chief advises that he is in place and ready to act.

9. S3- 9 Embassy Takeover (continued) 1005 - The secretary inside the Embassy calls reporting that the hostage takers have gathered most of those they could find into the Ambassador’s office where three of the five are serving as guards. Two others are apparently somewhere else in the Embassy. She thinks the American and German might be with them.

10. S3- 10 Embassy Takeover (continued) 1010 - The hostage leader calls and says things are not moving fast enough; he’s tired of waiting and plans to shoot his first hostage in 10 minutes.

11. S3- 11 Embassy Takeover (continued) 1012 - The rapid reaction team chief reports that he is in touch with the secretary inside the embassy who is providing “good information” request permission to send his forces, now, and says he will storm the embassy at the first sign on gunfire.