1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
7 a.m
| 1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa | |
|---|---|
 Turkish embassy building seen in 2005 | |
| Location | 45°26′5″N 75°40′32″W / 45.43472°N 75.67556°W Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Date | March 12, 1985 7 a.m |
| Target | 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 Armenian Revolutionary Army against the Turkish embassy in Ottawa, Canada.[1] These men where later called by the Armenians of Canada the "Ottawa 3" just like the "Lisbon 5" 1983 Turkish embassy attack in Lisbon
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]
The 1985 attack was the third assault on Turkish diplomatic personnel in Ottawa by Armenian gunmen in three years:[5] in April 1982, the embassy's commercial counsellor, Kani Güngör, was shot and critically injured in a parking garage. The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia quickly took credit for the attack, which left the attaché paralyzed. Four months later, in August 1982, the embassy's military attaché, Col. Atilla Altıkat, was shot to death as he drove to work. The Justice Commandos Against Armenian Genocide claimed responsibility.[3] In addition, other attacks by Armenians on Turkish targets, particularly diplomats, occurred in other countries during 1973–1994.[6]
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 bomb, the gunmen blasted open the heavy front door of the two-storey, Tudor-style home and embassy office. Once inside, they began rounding up hostages, including the wife of the Turkish ambassador, his teenage daughter and embassy staff members[2]—at least 12 people. Ambassador Coşkun Kırca, a veteran career diplomat with United Nations experience, who had been in Canada less than two years, escaped by leaping from the second floor window at the back of the embassy, breaking his right arm, right leg and pelvis.[7]
The police response was almost immediate. Within three minutes, officers were on the scene. Four hours later, the gunmen released all hostages and surrendered[5]—they tossed out their weapons and came out of the building with their hands up, asking only that they not be shot by police.[3][2] Earlier, in telephone conversations with reporters, they demanded, in exchange for releasing their hostages, that Turkey acknowledge the 1915 Armenian Genocide and return Armenian lands confiscated by Turkey. The gunmen, who said they were members of the Armenian Revolutionary Army told Ottawa police they blasted their way into the Turkish embassy "to make Turkey pay for the Armenian genocide" of 1915.[2]
