Torp hostage crisis
Encyclopedia
The Torp hostage crisis occurred on 28 September 1994 at Sandefjord Airport, Torp, Norway
. Two Swedish robbers took two police officers and two pensioners as hostage
s. The police freed the hostages and killed one of the hostage takers. It is the only peace time incident in which a Norwegian police chief has given the order to shoot to kill
.
citizens Rasid Koca, originally from the Czech Republic
, and Zvonimir Majdek, originally from Croatia
, robbed a small post office in Østre Halsen, just outside Larvik
. Their car broke down during the escape and they eventually ended up in the homes of an elderly couple in Larvik after taking a 44 year old female police officer
as hostage the night after the robbery. A negotiator from Sandefjord
police station was brought in to negotiate with the hostage takers and communicated with them through police radio, which meant that the entire press was able to listen in. They were led to believe that they would be given an airplane at the nearest airport, at Torp, but upon arrival they quickly realized that they had been fooled.
In an attempt to give the hostage takers new batteries for the police radio, the negotiator was himself taken hostage
. He was then told that he was going to be killed if the demands of the kidnappers were not met, which was a sum of USD
10 million and passage out of the country within the hour. He was forced to do the countdown to his own execution, every five minutes from 08:30. At 08:58 he reported through the radio: "it's now 2 minutes until I will get shot". Few seconds later Beredskapstroppen
(the Hostage Rescue Team) launched an attack that saved all hostages and killed Rasid Koca. He was killed instantaneously by a sniper from Beredskapstroppen. This is the only time in Norwegian peace history when a direct order to shoot to kill has been given.
Due to the MS Estonia sinking, the incident received little press attention, although a mini TV-series titled Deadline Torp was made for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), in 2005. The film has since been publicised on DVD.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Two Swedish robbers took two police officers and two pensioners as hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s. The police freed the hostages and killed one of the hostage takers. It is the only peace time incident in which a Norwegian police chief has given the order to shoot to kill
Deadly force
Deadly force, as defined by the United States Armed Forces, is the force which a person uses, causing—or that a person knows, or should know, would create a substantial risk of causing—death or serious bodily harm...
.
Line of events
SwedishSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
citizens Rasid Koca, originally from the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, and Zvonimir Majdek, originally from Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, robbed a small post office in Østre Halsen, just outside Larvik
Larvik
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
. Their car broke down during the escape and they eventually ended up in the homes of an elderly couple in Larvik after taking a 44 year old female police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
as hostage the night after the robbery. A negotiator from Sandefjord
Sandefjord
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sandefjord. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838...
police station was brought in to negotiate with the hostage takers and communicated with them through police radio, which meant that the entire press was able to listen in. They were led to believe that they would be given an airplane at the nearest airport, at Torp, but upon arrival they quickly realized that they had been fooled.
In an attempt to give the hostage takers new batteries for the police radio, the negotiator was himself taken hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
. He was then told that he was going to be killed if the demands of the kidnappers were not met, which was a sum of USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10 million and passage out of the country within the hour. He was forced to do the countdown to his own execution, every five minutes from 08:30. At 08:58 he reported through the radio: "it's now 2 minutes until I will get shot". Few seconds later Beredskapstroppen
Beredskapstroppen
Beredskapstroppen , call sign Delta, is a specialized police unit situated in Oslo, Norway. It is the main public force counter-terrorism unit in Norway, trained to perform dangerous operations such as high-risk arrests and hostage situations...
(the Hostage Rescue Team) launched an attack that saved all hostages and killed Rasid Koca. He was killed instantaneously by a sniper from Beredskapstroppen. This is the only time in Norwegian peace history when a direct order to shoot to kill has been given.
Due to the MS Estonia sinking, the incident received little press attention, although a mini TV-series titled Deadline Torp was made for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), in 2005. The film has since been publicised on DVD.