Today in History - November 18: The man who tried to free hostages became one
Hostage negotiator and church envoy Terry Waite was released by Islamic extremists on November 18, 1991, after almost five years of captivity.
Waite, a special representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury, arrived in Lebanon in 1987 to negotiate the freedom of British hostages, journalist John McCarthy.
It was a dicey mission, with the country torn apart by a bitter civil war, no law and order and armed gangs roaming the streets of the country's capital, Beirut.
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Terry Waite, seated centre, was taken captive in 1987 when visiting Lebanon to negotiate the release of British hostages. BBC
Waite seemed the ideal man for the job, after helping free UK nationals in political hotspots such as Iraq during the 1980s.
But then he had the tables turned on him in the Lebanese capital Beirut when he was taken hostage by extremist gunmen who suspected him of being a CIA spy.
Waite, speaking after his release, told the BBC he had been held in "grim conditions", during his 1763 days of captivity.
For much of the time he was kept in solitary confinement, chained to a radiator for 23 hours every day, beaten and subjected to mock executions.
He was made to sleep on the floor in a small room where shutters were erected in front of the window to prevent any natural light coming in, and had no books or papers to read.
Terry Waite attempted to free UK hostages snatched during the Lebanon civil war in the 1980s. Public Domain
Waite said he endured the ordeal by "by keeping my mind alive and by keeping hope alive", and wrote stories in his head, including his first book which he then put to paper after being released.
His conditions improved slightly in his last six months of captivity when he was given a small radio to listen to.
Waite was finally released along with US academic Thomas Sutherland who was seized in 1985.
Their captors had apologised for kidnapping them and admitted hostage taking served no useful purpose.
On news of Waite's release, bells rang out from the London church he worshipped and where vigils had been held on behalf of the Lebanon hostages.
US academic Thomas Sutherland was freed with Terry Waite in November 1991. (Photo: US Defence Department) Supplied
After arriving back in the UK, Waite founded Hostage International, an independent charity which works all over the world and helps returning hostages.
He also made several trips back to Lebanon on behalf of Christian refugees in the Middle East.
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