The Balcombe Street Siege was an incident involving members of the Provisional IRA (Irish Republican Army) and the London Metropolitan Police lasting from December 6 to December 12, 1975. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA; more commonly referred to as the IRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the army or the RA) is an Irish Republican paramilitary organisation dedicated to the end of British rule in Northern Ireland and to a United Ireland. ... The Metropolitan Police Service (usually just referred to as the Metropolitan Police or the Met) are the police of Greater London, England, with the exception of the square mile of the City of London, which has its own police force, the City of London Police. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

It started as a running gun battle through the city as police pursued Hugh Doherty, Joe O'Connell, Eddie Butler and Harry Duggan through the streets of London after they had attacked Scotts Restaurant in Mayfair for the second time. The attack was the latest in a campaign of bombings and shootings throughout London that lasted for more than a year, resulting in the deaths of numerous people and included the assassination of Guinness Book of Records co-founder and TV personality Ross McWhirter, who had offered a £50,000 reward to anyone willing to inform the security forces of IRA activity. The four men ended up in a flat at 22b Balcombe Street, in the Marylebone area, taking its two residents, John and Sheila Matthews, hostage. The Houses of Parliament and the clock tower containing Big Ben Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London (see Wiktionary:London for the name in other languages) is the capital of the United Kingdom and England. ... Mayfair is an area in the City of Westminster London, named after the fortnight-long May Fair that took place there from 1686 until it was banned in that location in 1764. ... It has been suggested that Targeted killing be merged into this article or section. ... Suresh Joachim, minutes away from breaking the ironing world record at 55 hours and 5 minutes, at Shoppers World, Brampton. ... Alan Ross McWhirter (12 August 1925 - 27 November 1975), known as Ross McWhirter, was, with his twin brother, Norris McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records. ... Marylebone (sometimes written St. ...

The men declared they were members of the Provisional IRA and demanded a plane to fly both them and their hostages to Ireland. Scotland Yard refused, creating a six-day standoff between the men and the police. Peter Imbert, later Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, was chief negotiator with the gang members. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) is a paramilitary group which aimed, through the use of violence, to achieve three goals: (i) British withdrawal from Ireland, (ii) the political unification of Ireland through the merger of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland , and (iii) the creation of an all... New Scotland Yard, London New Scotland Yard, often referred to simply as Scotland Yard or The Yard, is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for policing Greater London (although not the City of London itself). ... Peter Michael Imbert, Baron Imbert (born 1933) was Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1987 to 1993. ... The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (usually just referred to as the Metropolitan Police Commissioner or, more colloquially, as the Met Commissioner) is the head of the Metropolitan Police Service in London. ... The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) (commonly referred to by its former official name of the Metropolitan Police, or colloquially as The Met; often referred to in legislation as the Police of the Metropolis) is the Home Office (territorial) police force responsible for Greater London, England, with the exception of the...

The men surrendered after several days of negotiations with the Metropolitan police during which time SAS teams had been deployed and the suspects came to the realisation that they would not be granted their demand for a plane to Dublin. The suspects and the hostages were unharmed. The whole ordeal was watched by millions on television. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) (commonly referred to by its former official name of the Metropolitan Police, or colloquially as The Met; often referred to in legislation as the Police of the Metropolis) is the Home Office (territorial) police force responsible for Greater London, England, with the exception of the... It has been suggested that SAS Troops be merged into this article or section. ... Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland, located near the midpoint of Irelands east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region. ...

The four are still known as the Balcombe Street Gang. Doherty, O'Connell, Butler and Duggan were each given multiple life sentences in 1977 for various terrorist crimes, as well as McWhirter's murder, and were later subjected each to a whole life tariff, the only terrorist prisoners to do so. However, they were released in 1999 as part of the Good Friday Agreement. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The whole life tariff came into force in 1983 when the British Home Secretary began to set minimum terms that convicted killers had to serve before being considered for release on life licence. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was signed in Belfast on April 10, 1998 by the British and Irish Governments and endorsed by most Northern Ireland political parties. ...

During their trial they instructed their lawyers to "draw attention to the fact that four totally innocent people were serving massive sentences" for three bombings in Woolwich and Guildford. Despite admitting to the police that they were in fact responsible, they were never charged with these offences, and the Birmingham Six, Guildford Four and Maguire Seven, all wrongfully charged, remained in prison for years afterwards. One died in jail, and the rest were eventually released after it emerged that police had beaten confessions out of them and suppressed information that would have proved their innocence. The Kings Arms is a public house in Woolwich, London that was bombed in 1974 and is now a landmark on the route of the London Marathon. ... The Guildford pub bombing occurred on October 5, 1974. ... The Birmingham Six were Hug Callaghan, Patrick Hill, Gerard Bitcher, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker. ... The Guildford Four were Paul Hill, Gerry Conlon, Patrick (Paddy) Armstrong and Carole Richardson, who were wrongly convicted in the United Kingdom in October 1975 for the Provisional IRAs Guildford pub bombing which killed five and injured sixty five people. ... The Maguire Seven case was an infamous incident of wrongful conviction in the United Kingdom. ...

See also

• Stephen Tibble
• List of hostage crises

Police Constable Stephen Andrew Tibble QPM (1953 – February 26, 1975) was a police constable in the London Metropolitan Police who was killed by an Irish Republican Army gunman whom Tibble was chasing through Barons Court, London. ... This is a list of hostage crises by date. ...

References

• An Phoblacht/Republican News, (May 7, 1998)
• BBC News Report
• BBC "On this day": 12 December 1975