Solved case · 1982
The short answer
Four Polish exiles led by Florian Kruszyk stormed the Polish embassy in Bern on September 6, 1982, taking 14 hostages and demanding an end to martial law in Poland along with several million Swiss francs; a Swiss anti-terror squad freed the remaining hostages unharmed on September 9.
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Suggest coverage for this caseOn September 6, 1982, four Polish exiles armed with shotguns, knives, and gas masks seized the Polish embassy in Bern, Switzerland, taking 14 embassy workers hostage. The group was led by Florian Kruszyk, a former officer of the Polish security service (Służba Bezpieczeństwa, SB). The gunmen identified themselves as members of an organization called the "Insurgent Home Army" (Powstańcza Armia Krajowa), a group later designated as a terrorist organization by Poland and believed to have been linked to a prior deadly attack in Poland earlier that year.
The hostage-takers threw a written message from the embassy window demanding the abolition of martial law in Poland, the release of political prisoners, the dismantling of what they described as prison camps, and an end to repression of the Polish people. They also threatened to release confidential documents allegedly held in the embassy and demanded several million Swiss francs, threatening to destroy the building with explosives — later revealed to be a bluff, as the group did not possess the dynamite they claimed to have, and a submachine gun they carried was a mockup.
Negotiations were led by Swiss Federal Councillor Kurt Furgler, assisted by Dominican priest Józef Maria Bocheński, over 35 recorded phone calls. As the situation continued, the hostage-takers reduced their demands to three million Swiss francs and safe passage to a foreign country. Polish authorities' offer to send their own special forces to storm the embassy was rejected by Swiss authorities. On September 8, the Swiss Federal Council authorized Furgler to order a raid, and in the early hours of September 9, the operation, codenamed "Operation Essen," began. Later that morning, a disguised petard containing tear gas was used to enable Switzerland's Stern anti-terror squad to storm the embassy; the raid concluded within roughly 12 minutes without shots fired or resistance, freeing the five hostages still held.
The four perpetrators — Florian Kruszyk (42), Marek Michalski (20), Miroslaw Plewinski (23), and Krysztof Wasilewski (33) — were convicted and sentenced on October 10, 1983. Kruszyk received six years' imprisonment and 15 years' banishment from Switzerland; the other three received sentences of 2.5 to three years' imprisonment and five years' banishment. Swiss authorities rejected extradition requests to Poland, citing that Poland was not party to a relevant Western European agreement on prosecuting terrorism.
A separate matter came to light in 2013: members of the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service reportedly entered the embassy during the crisis, seized diplomatic documents in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, photocopied them at the federal prosecutor's office, and returned them. The head of the hostage task force, Benno Schneider, acknowledged ordering the documents copied, and Furgler had approved the copying despite public denials at the time.
A member of the Citizens' Militia, Zdzisław Karos, was killed in an attack in Poland believed to be linked to the group later responsible for the embassy seizure.
Four armed Polish exiles led by Florian Kruszyk seized the Polish embassy in Bern, taking 14 hostages and issuing political and financial demands.
The Swiss Federal Council authorized head negotiator Kurt Furgler to decide unilaterally on ordering a raid of the embassy.
Swiss Stern anti-terror squad conducted 'Operation Essen,' storming the embassy and freeing remaining hostages within about 12 minutes without shots fired.
The four perpetrators were sentenced; Kruszyk received six years' imprisonment and 15 years' banishment, and the other three received 2.5 to three years' imprisonment and five years' banishment.
It was revealed that Swiss Federal Intelligence Service members had illegally seized and photocopied diplomatic documents from the embassy during the 1982 crisis.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Leader of the group that seized the embassy; sentenced on October 10, 1983 to six years' imprisonment and 15 years' banishment from Switzerland.[3]
Member of the group that seized the embassy; sentenced to 2.5 to three years' imprisonment and five years' banishment.[3]
Member of the group that seized the embassy; sentenced to 2.5 to three years' imprisonment and five years' banishment.[3]
Member of the group that seized the embassy; sentenced to 2.5 to three years' imprisonment and five years' banishment.[3]
From the record
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