From the drill
Latvian forces simulate hostage-taking at Israeli embassy
Following similar drills in Ukraine and Romania, the Latvian special anti-terrorism police simulated the takeover of the Israeli embassy in Riga by terrorists.
The special anti-terrorism unit of the Latvian police carried out a hostage-situation simulation at the Israeli Embassy in Riga on Saturday.
In the drill, the special unit acted to free hostages from the embassy's consular section. Similar exercises have been carried out at the Israeli embassies in Ukraine and Romania.
The drill simulated all of the potential stages of the imagined scenario: the taking hostage, the negotiation with the terrorists, breaking into the building and the sounds of explosions and gunfire.
The exercise was overseen by the embassy's security officer and the commander of the Latvian police's special anti-terrorism unit. Several senior officers from the Latvian national police were also present.
Israel's ambassador to Latvia, Lironne Bar-Sadeh, commented, "Everybody was saved. The cooperation was really excellent."
