GERMANY: AN OBSCURE IRAQI OPPOSITION GROUP HAS OCCUPIED THE IRAQI EMBASSY IN BERLIN

Record ID: 647852

  • Title: GERMANY: AN OBSCURE IRAQI OPPOSITION GROUP HAS OCCUPIED THE IRAQI EMBASSY IN BERLIN
  • Date: 20th August 2002
  • Summary: (U5)BERLIN, GERMANY (AUGUST 20, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV OF POLICE CAR IN RIEMEISTER STRASSE (STREET) IN BERLIN'S ZEHLENDORF DISTRICT WHERE IRAQI EMBASSY IS SITUATED 0.08 2. SLV POLICEMAN WALKING DOWN STREET OUTSIDE IRAQI EMBASSY 0.15 3. SLV OF POLICE OBSERVING EMBASSY 0.27 4. SLV POLICE AT SCENE 0.37 5. SLV CHILDREN WAITING ON GRASS VERGE OUTSIDE EMBASSY WITH POLICE AND OTHER OFFICIALS PAN TO POLICE CAR 0.52 6. SLV OF CHILD WITH TEDDY BEAR 1.00 7. SLV POLICEMAN GETS OUT OF CAR 1.01 8. SLV POLICE OBSERVING 1.13 9. SLV RESCUE VEHICLE 1.26 10. SLV POLICEMAN TAPING OFF AREA 1.42 11. LV OF STREET LINED WITH POLICE CARS 1.51 12. LV POLICE HELICOPTER FLIES OVERHEAD 2.03 13. SV OF POLICE SPOKESMAN SURROUNDED BY REPORTERS 2.06 14. MCU (German) BERLIN POLICE SPOKESMAN JOERG NITTMANN: "Unfortunately it is not much that I can tell you so far. You can see what the situation is like and the number of police vehicles. What we can tell you is: an unknown number of people has entered the Iraqi embassy and has taken hostage several people. There is an unconfirmed number. The question you will ask is: is the ambassador inside ? Yes." 2.27 15. SV REPORTERS AROUND NITTMANN 2.29 16. MCU (German) BERLIN POLICE SPOKESMAN JOERG NITTMANN: "Regarding shots: residents have allegedly heard something that sounded like shots. I can not confirm this. There are injured people, two of them lightly wounded. I can't say anything about the degree of injury. Those people have been tended to by the fire brigade and then they were taken away." 2.52 17. SLV POLICE CAR MOVING 3.06 18. CU NEWS RELEASE (3 SHOTS) 3.27 19. SLV OF POLICE ACTIVITY OUTSIDE EMBASSY 3.33 20. SV SPECIAL FORCES MAN IN SKI MASK TALKING TO CONTROLLER 3.48 21. SLV MORE OF POLICE PATROLLING OUTSIDE BUILDING (2 SHOTS) 4.11 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 4th September 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA3M190OB6SSXEZZE1P1O4EIM75
  • Story Text: An obscure Iraqi opposition group has occupied the
    Iraqi embassy in Berlin, taking hostages including the
    ambassador, and police said two people were lightly injured.



    German police said on Tuesday (August 20) that two
    people had been injured and shots had been fired as four or
    five members of an obscure Iraqi opposition group occupied the
    Iraqi embassy in Berlin, taking hostages.

    A police spokesman at the scene, Joerg Nittman, said the
    number of hostages taken at the embassy was believed to be
    less than 10, but among them was thought to be the Iraqi
    ambassador.

    The spokesman said police did not have any more
    information about the identity of the opposition group. He
    said German special forces had been informed about the
    incident.

    A group calling itself the Democratic Iraqi Opposition of
    Germany faxed a statement in German to Reuters on Tuesday
    (August 20) saying it was launching a "peaceful and temporary"
    action to press its demands for an end to the rule of Iraqi
    President Saddam Hussein.

    "In the name of the Iraqi people and their legitimate
    leadership, the Iraqi opposition, we declare that the
    liberation of Iraqi soil begins today. We are taking over the
    Iraqi embassy in Berlin and with this the first step in the
    liberation of our beloved fatherland."
    The statement, which appeared to have been sent by fax from
    the town of Hamburg, listed contact details at the bottom of
    the page which included the number of the Iraqi embassy in
    Berlin.

    Police sealed off the street outside the embassy in a
    leafy district of Berlin. There were seven police vans, an
    armoured personnel carrier and three fire engines outside the
    building, which was screened by trees and bushes.

    According to German police, an operation was taking place
    but they gave no further details.

    The Iraqi National Congress in London, the country's main
    opposition group in exile, condemned the occupation of the
    Iraqi embassy in Berlin by what it called an obscure
    organisation not representing the opposition.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register