Today in History - April 22: The complex operation to rescue dozens of hostages in barely 20 minutes
A four-month-long hostage crisis in Peru came to a violent end in a remarkably complex operation on April 22, 1997.
Fourteen members of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) took hundreds of diplomats, officials and business executives hostage in a raid on the home of the ambassador of Japan, Morihisa Aoki.
The residence was crowded with people at an event to celebrate the Japanese emperor's birthday on December 17.
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Plumes of smoke pour out of the building during the raid. Supplied
Among those taken hostage were cabinet ministers, members of Congress, judges from the Supreme Court and ambassadors from many countries.
The guerrillas demanded the release of prisoners and changes to the Peruvian government's free market reforms.
But the Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori was unwilling to make a deal.
Instead police would blast loud music, throw stones into the compound and fire gunshots in the air, all to put the hostage-takers on edge.
Water and power were also cut off.
In the meantime, an exact replica of the ambassador's home was built nearby.
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A hostage is carried out of the complex after the operation. Supplied
Hidden microphones were sent into the home hidden in water bottles and food - and a two-way radio transmitter was sent in hidden in the personal guitar of one of the hostages.
The bugs revealed a curious detail. The MRTA were vigilant against the prospect of attack, save for at 3pm every afternoon.
Then eight of the fourteen would play indoor football.
It was at 3.23pm that three sets of explosives were detonated.
The first blew a hole in the floor of the room where the MRTA were playing football, killing three instantly.
From that hole, 30 commandos burst into the room.
Simultaneously, 20 commandos forced their way through the front door and up the stairs.
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Commandos celebrating the success of the hostage-taking operation. Supplied
Two other holes were blown in the building, and at the same time, commandos burst out of two tunnels that had been dug in the backyard.
Because the guerrillas had feared that the government would tunnel into the building, they had moved the hostages upstairs.
This meant the commandos could be more fearlessly destructive in their initial attack on the building.
The commandos who burst out of the backyard tunnels immediately scaled some ladders to the second floor to secure hostages.
To easily identify who was a hostage, the government had sent in light-coloured clothing to distinguish them from the guerrillas' darker garb.
In barely 20 minutes, all 14 guerrillas were dead, and the hostages were freed.
One hostage and two commandos had been killed.
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Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori walks among the corpses of the dead guerrillas after the operation. Supplied
It was later determined that two guerrillas had been executed after being taken captive.
Fujimori had ordered that none of the guerrillas was to be taken alive.
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