Berne embassy held hostage

Press, 7 September 1982, Page 6

Berne embassy held hostage

NZPA-Reuter Berne An armed group occupied the Polish Embassy in Berne yesterdav. took diplomats hostage ‘and threatened to blow it up in 48 hours unless the Polish Government lifted martial law and freed political prisoners in Poland, police said. A man who identified himself as Colonel Bwysocki of the "Polish Revolutionary Home Army," told the Associated Press on a telpehone call that his group was “armed with heavy machineguns” and had "25 kilograms of dynamite." He said that enough explosive "to blow this shack away, and everyone in it." Colonel Bwysocki said his group was holding 13 hos-

tages, "all diplomatic personnel" He said everyone in the building would be blown up unless the Polish Government lifted martial law. dissolved the “concentration camps" holding opponents of the regime and released all internees. He also said that the group was preparing similar attacks on other Polish embassies and missions across Europe if the conditions were not met. Reuter reported that 12 Swiss Government officials forming a special hostage task force met to form a plan of action. An eyewitness said the take-over group walked calmly into the embassy yesterday morning and that there'was no shooting.