TERROR AT THE EMBASSY. THE 1975 HOSTAGE CRISIS IN STOCKHOLM

On 26 April 1975, six young Germans broke into the West German embassy in Stockholm and took the ambassador and twelve other officials hostage. They belonged to the militant and terrorist Red Army Faction (RAF) and demanded the release of RAF members from prison in Germany – otherwise they would execute the hostages and blow up the entire embassy. The Swedish police were taken by surprise and Olof Palme’s government had great difficulty in resolving the situation. When the world’s attention turned on Stockholm, a game of life and death began.

The hostage-takers had expected the authorities to give in quickly, but the West German government rejected their demands, and the hours passed. Inside the embassy, tension and fear grew – to breaking point when the terrorists carried out their threat and shot two of the hostages. At the same time, more and more police and journalists gathered outside. The chaos culminated in a sudden explosion.

This documentary grippingly traces the events minute by minute. Elaborate reconstructions convey a sense of the threatening nature of the situation, the escalation and chaos inside the embassy as well as the tense stalemates, the uncertainty, the agonizing wait… The timeline is supplemented by a spatial layer with a 3D model of the embassy and a map of the surrounding area.

An extensive collection of archive footage as well as interviews with contemporary witnesses – including survivors and descendants of the victims – complement this intimate insight.

Executive Producers
Lisa Wahlbom
Regina Bouchehri
Gunnar Dedio
Birgit Rasch

A co-production by
LOOKSfilm and Nordic Eye Productions

In co-production with
ZDF/Arte and SVT

Director
Johanna Becker

Co-Director
Johannes Preuß

Script
Johanna Becker & Martin Abrahamsson

Creative Producer
Judith Taureck

Commissioning Editors
Axel Arnö (SVT)
Patrick Bratt (SVT)
Sofia Manieri (SVT)
Jean-Christoph Caron (ZDF/Arte)

Line Producer
Holger Koop