Red Mercury (1997) - full transcript
(suspenseful music)
(cars honking)
- Stop here.
Wait and hold the
briefcase till I come back.
(knocking)
The stuff.
- Genius, Fazal.
Genius.
- Can I touch it?
- Yeah.
Be careful.
- [Fazal] It looks real.
- You can't tell outside
a high class laboratory.
But it's what the Ruskie
scientists signed off on.
- How long will it take?
- Just a couple of days.
Okay, put it back.
(suspenseful music)
- Take our guest to Waterloo.
- Hang around, I won't be long.
- Dilawar, where are you, man?
(thudding and grunting)
(ominous music)
(speaking foreign language)
- What?
- Butchered notes!
- Forged?
Fazal!
(suspenseful music)
Fazal?
Fazal?
(doorbell ringing)
(glass shattering)
(ominous music)
Bastard!
Police.
No particular police station.
The terrorist hotline.
- That's slow, man.
- It doesn't have to be fast.
It's a switch. (snapping)
You wanna be far, far away.
(cell phone ringing)
Hello?
- Mo?
- Yeah.
- Get out of there.
- What?
- Clear the mojo and the computer.
Get the fuck out, now and don't call me!
- Get the stuff.
They're coming for us, the bags!
(dramatic music)
(tires screeching)
Come on, come on!
- Wheel holders!
I got a fucking permit!
- Back!
Come on!
(siren wailing)
- What the fuck's occurring
in the bloody party?
(yelling)
- [Asif] Down here, come on!
(screaming)
(dishes shattering)
- Everybody up!
Move, come on!
Fucking get against the wall, now!
Now, up against the fucking wall!
Come on, move!
(glass shattering)
Come on!
- We got hostages!
We'll take them with us!
- Stay back!
You, get over there now, come on!
- [Penelope] Electra, you're doing what?
- Drop it!
- You boys mad, what do you
think you're bloody doing?
- I said drop that!
- Bloody hell!
I have no money!
You want money you rob McDonald's!
- Shut up!
- Shut the door!
The door!
If they make any move, shoot.
(gun clicking)
Put your hands up.
Up, come on!
Any mobile phones?
- Yeah, in my pocket.
- Ah, an American.
- Lucky me.
- Good, everyone, one by
one take your clothes off.
Down to underwear.
Move!
You, move!
- How take clothes off with hands up?
- I've got the gun.
- You tell me this obvious thing?
Please, you take my money, you get out!
You don't want?
Police is outside.
- You, madam, clothes!
- You're not ashamed?
You have no mothers!
- Do what he says!
- Hey, does this send videos?
- Mm-hmm.
Also emails, you can surf the net,
download your favorite
surah from the Koran.
It takes out the trash, too.
- I prefer husband to do that.
- Shut up.
Put the fucking thing away!
Give these women back their clothes.
Empty their pockets, put all
the mobile phones on the table.
- What about us?
- No, the women!
We have to preserve their modesty.
You can have your clothes back, too!
- Turn around, all of you!
To the wall!
Hands on the wall and shush!
- This is bad business.
Where they go now?
We see their face.
- They don't intend to rob us.
(ominous music)
(telephone ringing)
- Answer it!
- Eight?
There's a table for 8:15.
Is that gonna be good?
- Stop fucking around, man!
What'd you think...
- Sorry.
(telephone ringing)
- Pick it up, Mo!
- We're closed.
- [Jeff] This is Superintendent Collins
from the Metropolitan police.
- Police!
- No negotiation.
- You're fighting for something?
Maybe we are with you.
You don't ask us.
You don't ask me if I'm against America.
Go on, ask.
Don't ask, I tell you.
I'm against war, all war.
Every kind of war, including yours.
- Mom!
- No, no, it's okay, it's okay,
they appreciate it, I speak out.
I was for freedom in Cyprus!
- That was Turkey and Greece,
they were fighting for land.
These guys are different.
- He's right.
- What?
- We gotta get the mojo out of here.
No?
Tell him.
- What?
- It's not finished yet, is it?
They need it, the WJ...
- Just chill, man!
(dramatic music)
- [Jeff] At least they've picked
the best Greek restaurant in London.
- Sofia, welcome, welcome to the party.
Jeff, you know, of course,
our chief negotiator
from the last shamble.
- Thanks for that.
- Actually I think we came out
of it rather well, no body bags.
- Nice to see you.
- Hugo Briggs, our forensics coordinator.
Of course, DCI Brian Evans,
whose boys are out there even now.
- Brian.
- Gentlemen, this is Sofia Warburton,
counter-terrorism, MI5 and,
contrary to popular rumor,
she's not here with the sole
task of dancing with MI6.
She's silver ranking, she
knows what she's doing.
And I want to make this absolutely clear,
she's a key member of my command team,
as are you all, of course.
Brian, the cordons in place?
- Yeah.
- [Roy] What else have we got?
- There's no sound or
vision, but we've begun
silent drilling to get
a camera in on them.
- How long will that take?
- Well, it's a minimum of 18 hours.
The owner of the restaurant is female.
There's one daughter and two members
of staff who don't get in till six.
- Have they been brought in?
- Yeah, we're talking to them now, ma'am.
As yet, there's no names of any customers
and no information on the terrorists.
- Let's not use that word.
It might be the wrong one.
Do we have anything on them at all?
- From our limited voice contact,
they appear to be British.
- How many?
- Three, although it
seems to be unplanned,
a moment of panic on their behalf.
- Prompted by?
- It was a tip-off.
We raided the flat maybe
minutes after they'd left.
- [Briggs] Forensic report is on the way.
- Any name of the outfit?
- No, not as yet.
We also did receive a
phone call, an informer.
There's a transcript, isn't there, Brian?
- Yeah.
That's three men,
they're all codenamed Mo,
and they're all armed.
Something about them carrying a mojo.
- A mojo?
- Yeah.
- What is that, exactly?
- I don't know.
- This informer, did he ask for anything?
- No.
We're running a trace, but
you know how long that takes.
Now look, our prime objective,
and I can't stress this enough,
is to lower the temperature in there.
Get them talking to Jeff.
I want the situation resolved without
an assault, if possible.
(dramatic music)
(tapping)
(tense music)
- [Penelope] Mister, please.
Let us sit down.
- Okay, Mo, move the trolley.
Turn around.
Sit in a line over there.
Move!
- Thank you.
You get extra in paradise.
- [Mushtaq] Don't make a mistake.
We're willing to die for the cause.
- What is the cause?
- Hi, this is Jeff Collins again.
Of effect, my job to deal with
the situation we all find ourselves in.
We've taken precautions
to protect the public.
We want to try to persuade
you to set the hostages free.
- Tell them we want a
car to take the mojo out.
- Where are we gonna take it?
- To where it's useful.
- Oh yeah, you really think
they're gonna let us out?
Alive?
- Use a mobile phone to call this number.
- [Asif] Mo!
- We'll call you back on a secure line.
Call 07700900876.
When you connect, we'll dim the light.
- This is Mo, I speak for the
hijackers, I mean, fighters.
No, we can't tell you how
many and who they are.
No!
They want information.
I heard a woman's voice, too.
- You, what's your name?
- Sidney, Sidney Lowe,
University of Buffalo, '76.
- It's good to raise your hand.
Talk to us, but not to each other.
- Look, why don't you at least
think of letting the women go?
They're not helping your cause.
- Well, we're not letting anyone go.
- Okay.
All I'm saying, if you
are gonna negotiate,
you need a strategy.
You know, give and take.
- You're the management
consultant, are you?
- No chit chat.
Look, don't tell us what to do.
We ask the questions!
I'll warn you, one more
word and I swear I'll...
- So we're gonna get out
the back door, right?
- Look, we may never get out.
- Hey, we got an assignment,
man, to get the thing ready.
- Yes!
- Come on guys, you really
need to talk to each other.
Do you have a plan?
- Hey, try and understand, we
don't care what happens to us.
- So our first demand is
to get the bloody suitcase,
the stuff, the whole mojo out of here
and out the fastest way.
- How the hell are we gonna do that?
- Tell them to give us a car and we take
a couple of the hostages and drive off.
If they try and stop us
we kill the hostages.
- You think they give a bloody
shit about the hostages?
- [Shahid] If they don't care
they'd storm the place now.
- I think whoever told them where we were
told them we got the fucking mojo.
- Then let's make fucking
sure they know about it.
Shout it out!
Or...
Move!
Write it out, yeah?
- Okay.
- 13 on this, 13 in a fucking room.
- Maybe one of you should leave?
- It's 12, man, you
can't even bloody count!
What do we say?
- The release of prisoners.
- [Sidney] Start small.
- What do you mean, small?
- Ask for something they can give you.
- Like what?
- What the fuck are you asking him for?
Write!
- I said release the prisoners.
- Guaranteed safe conduct to Algeria.
- No, there's anti-Islamic
government there.
- Saudi.
- [Asif] American stooges.
- Iran.
- Cheers.
- Liberated part of Pakistan.
- Liberated?
Dream on.
- Switzerland?
- [Shahid] Why Switzerland?
- Hey, you leave it out!
- [Shahid] What do you mean, leave it out?
- Switzerland, man, where are you living?
- It's neutral.
- Neutral?
- Yeah.
- You've been watching too
many second World War films.
- They're neutral between
England and Germany, man,
not neutral between us and them.
- May I ask who us and them are?
- Yeah, you know what we're talking about.
The insults to Islam.
- Insults, what insults?
Whoever insult you?
Prince Charles putting hanky on his head
and having tea with the mullahs.
- Why don't you ask the drug companies
to give free AIDS drugs to Africa?
- Because AIDS is a punishment from Allah.
- The little babies, too?
Allah kills them off in the thousands.
- You see what the girl said?
It's true.
I call that a problem.
Oh, mister, please, please
you write one more thing.
You say the British must
restore Elgin Marbles to Greece.
Okay, you say it's Penelope,
an old lady who want this, not you.
Because you, you don't care
personally for art or culture.
For you everything begin
with Allah being the prophet.
My dears, I know this because I live
with Muslims, Turkish, in Cyprus.
So you say, Penelope, an old lady,
want this and then you can kill me.
And everyone in Greece
will remember my name.
And they will look up and see a miracle
and they know when they walk in the street
in the petrol gas and the traffic,
that the gods are looking
down at them from the hills.
(glass shattering)
- [Mushtaq] Grenade!
(screaming)
(dramatic music)
- Thank you, Sergeant.
Fingerprints, Mr. Briggs, fingerprints.
(cameras clicking)
(reporters chattering)
- [Reporter] Do they have any weapons?
Give us a statement!
- To this point the hostage
takers have not made contact.
We have no indication of their demands.
- [Reporter] Is the government
prepared to negotiate with them?
- We are attempting to establish contact.
- [Reporter] When are we
going in for the kill?
- Well, obviously we can't
give you operational details.
- Donald Carr, BBC News.
Miss Warburton, are you able to confirm
that our special forces are on standby
and are involved in the operation?
- I can only confirm that this is entirely
a police-controlled operation.
There's no involvement of special forces.
- Well, can you tell us who is in charge
of the operation and what the strategy is?
- The commissioner
remains in overall control
and his instant team are
considering all possibilities.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Why did he ask that?
About special forces?
That's not on the agenda.
- It's probably just a rumor, ma'am.
- There's and such
thing as a rumor, Brian,
not where the BBC is concerned.
(suspenseful music)
(glass shattering)
- Good, I'll be right in.
- Alright, I'll be there
in about 20 minutes.
Okay.
He wants to see me.
But, the minister assures me we're
in complete control of the operation.
- Now I know we're in serious trouble.
We need to report some
progress and I mean quick.
- Yes.
- Are those their terms?
- [Hugo] It would appear so, sir.
- Let's hear them.
- Alright, you must make
no contentious moves.
Very literate.
Coming to any agreement
will be contingent on
your negotiating our terms in good faith.
Perfect English.
Signs off in Arabic and then it says
Mohammed, Mohammed and Mohammed.
Three Mo's.
- In the name of the all-powerful,
all-merciful, et cetera, et cetera.
That's all?
- Yeah, is that the same
handwriting as that?
- I guess.
Faltering Arabic mistakes.
- Yes.
- Pakis?
Pakistani lads?
- So terms, free all political prisoners,
Guantanamo, Iraqi women, French
law against head scarves.
Withdraw all troops from Iraq.
No armaments to Pakistan or India.
Safe conduct which the British government
must negotiate with a
neutral country and...
- And?
- Restore the Elgin Marbles
to the Greek people.
- Witty buggers.
(cell phone ringing)
- Yes?
- Positive ID, turn around, ASAP.
- Turn around.
- My instructions are to
take you to Whitehall.
The security clearance was for that only.
- What?
Who made these stupid rules?
- Yourself, during the
Saudi embassy alert.
- Well, I'm changing
them again, turn around.
Rosalind, tell the minister I have to
turn back and he can get me at control.
- Ah, Sofia.
- [Sofia] So?
- He's called Shahid Iqbal, car thief.
Persistent in his teens and one offense
as an eight year old up in Birmingham.
He's 24 years old now, lives in Hounslow.
- What else?
- Well, just the home address, really.
We don't profile petty thieves.
I will get the boys in Hounslow to pick up
whoever is at that address, though.
- Not yet.
- Why?
- Do you have any accommodation
set up in the building?
- I do.
Yes, we're spread out all round the place.
I thought the adjacent
space for you, ma'am.
Grace will show you where.
Grace!
- Thanks.
Tell him I'll take a couple of hours,
or maybe more if nothing happens.
- Anything you need from home?
- There's no one at home, Grace.
I'll send my PA in the morning, thanks.
(tense music)
(knocking)
- I'm looking for Shahid Iqbal.
- For what?
- I'm wanting to get in
contact with his family.
- What's he done?
- Are you family?
- Mother.
- Shahid's mother?
- Are you from the DSS?
- [Sofia] No, no, I'm not.
- [Mrs. Iqbal] He's not injured?
- No, no, no, no he's not.
But he is in trouble.
I'm afraid he's in very bad trouble.
- I know.
I know all about it.
- You do?
Would you be willing, um...
Are you alone?
- Come in.
It can't get worse.
You're a lady detective, I take it?
Well, he signed on.
He only worked for me at the laundry.
It's not really wages.
You know, a mother can't
pay her son to help out.
I don't call that fraud!
- I'm not here about benefit fraud.
- Oh, not cars again?
- No, no.
Mrs. Iqbal, um, does
Shahid go to the mosque?
- No, they all go from round here.
But not him, not my husband either.
Don't know what he's been doing
these past 18 years in Bangladesh,
but when he was here
he didn't give a toss.
He drank and he had bacon.
- Does Shahid live here with you?
- When he wants a free meal or a bath.
His stuff's here in there.
Have a look.
(chilling music)
He wasn't a great one for books.
- [Sofia] Did he go to school around here?
- Down the road.
Stanislaus.
You haven't told me what he's done.
It's all over now.
He got in with the lads around here.
The decent people!
I mean ever since then,
he's turned over a new leaf.
He keeps talking about the
right way of doing things.
And whatever he's done,
whatever our disagreements,
he's always looked after me.
- Do you mind if I hang
onto this for a while?
It appears to be out of date.
- It's no use to me, duck.
(kids chattering)
- Can I help you?
- Oh, no, I'm just looking around.
- Just for one deviant
moment there I thought,
ah, prospective middle class parent.
We could do with some of them.
But obviously not.
- No.
My daughter's finished with school.
- Oh, where?
- Oh, South London.
Allens.
- Oh, yes.
So, you're here for?
- I'm, uh...
I'm with the security services.
- Oh, Paul Ford, deputy.
Can I help?
- Did a Shahid Iqbal
pass through your hands?
- Slipped through is a better description.
Yeah, everyone knows Shahid around here.
Suspensions, expulsions,
you know the drill.
But he's charming, bounces back.
He reformed, found religion.
Look.
Can't do anything about those characters.
They're there morning and evening.
They seemed to do Shahid a lot of good.
He came back in all his gear,
we let him preach the gospel.
He was urging the sixth
formers to give up drugs.
Stop robbing cars, petrol stations.
And to bow to Allah five times a day.
- Thank you.
- Is he alright?
- No.
Did he ever show an interest in chemistry?
- Not according to his TCSE results.
- Do you know Shahid Iqbal?
- Traitor.
- Oh?
Why?
- When you don't have
discipline you become dangerous.
- Is he part of your group?
- No, he's an anarchist.
In Islam you subject yourself
to the will of Allah.
Brother Shahid could not
surrender his ego to the cause.
- And you can?
- [Man] Come on.
- Go.
- You.
No, not you.
Big mouth.
You live in London?
- No.
- So where do you live, Sidney?
- New York.
- New York?
Used to have some tall buildings.
- We still do.
- So do you pay American taxes?
- What I can't get away with.
- So you pay for the rockets and bombs
that the Americans use on our people?
- Everybody has to pay taxes.
- But you pay a lot.
Don't you?
- Yeah.
But if I voted for Mr. Kerry
I'd probably be paying a lot more.
- Whoever you vote for
an American gets in.
- That's the way the system works.
- That's democracy, he
pays taxes, he gets a vote.
- Democracy?
You're preaching to them about democracy?
- Democracy?
What's democracy?
Men raise their hands and
decide on how to make war.
How to make money.
Where do they get their sense?
Only the book can tell people what to do
because the book was written by God.
- The book?
The book, only one book?
Why don't you try reading two books?
That's democracy, you
can't spit on democracy.
(spits)
They don't agree with you,
your friends, your Muslim friends.
Do you?
Go then, spit!
(neighbors chattering)
- Hello?
Anybody here?
- Mom?
What are you doing here?
- What have you done to your...
You're coming home.
- This is my home.
- Darling, you can't...
- It's okay.
I'd introduce you to my flatmates,
but they're not exactly
Colonial Cup material.
- Oh, Clarissa, don't be ridiculous.
- I'm fine here.
Brilliant.
- I want you home for
myself as much as for you.
I miss you.
- Why do you call it home?
You're hardly ever there.
You're always off taking away somebody's
civil rights or whatever it is you do.
I don't want to rattle around in
some big empty house you call home.
(cell phone ringing)
- Hello?
- I'll call you in a day, I...
Promise.
- Yes, yes I'll be there.
Look, I have got to go, but...
But do that.
Call me?
- Okay.
- Please?
- [Asif] How important are you?
That's what we wanna know.
- Who, me?
- Yeah, you.
- Well, to my wife and kids I think
I'm pretty important, yeah.
- To the Pentagon?
- They don't ask me for advice.
- I'm sure.
So what are you doing in London?
- I was hoping to score some
tickets for Mary Poppins.
- Cut the crap!
Tell us what you're doing in London.
- I'm a lawyer.
- For the U.S. government?
- No, no.
I represent people more
powerful than the government;
Mobile, Texaco, Shell
International, Saudi Arabia.
I also do pro bono work; Red Cross,
Red Crescent, Palestinian Relief Fund.
Look, you look like
you're an intelligent guy,
capable of rational thought.
- [Shahid] You live with your children?
- Yeah, two of them.
The other two are with my former wife.
- Two wives?
- No, it's alright.
I knew a man once in Cyprus, had 40 wives.
He applied to the
Guinness Book of Records.
- You.
What's your name?
- John, it's John.
- What's your job, John?
- [John] I'm in chemicals.
- Chemicals?
- I'm Chief Executive for Organite.
- Well, that's huge.
- Look, if it's money that
you want, my family will pay.
- Money?
You're offering us money?
- Isn't that what you want?
- No.
What's your name?
- Janet.
- I was thinking, have the
cameras take pictures of them.
Then the public can see who they are.
Pressure from his company
on the government.
- My colleagues might just be pleased
to hear that there's a vacancy.
- Okay.
(telephone ringing)
(snapping)
- Mohammed?
- Some of our guests are gonna
show their faces at the window.
If you try anything, they die.
- Hold on, Mohammed.
Before they do that can you tell us
that everyone is fit and well in there?
If anyone's going to
appear, please tell me
so I can instruct the police
cordons to stand back.
- I want news cameras.
- I have to run that by my commander.
- We'll give you three minutes.
Up.
- Live hostages on national TV?
The minister's gonna love that.
- The boys will, though.
Well, you've gotta give them something.
- Yes, Jeff's right.
We know one of them but we need
time to identify the others.
- Where are we with the
cameras and the mikes?
- We've actually had a
bit of a glitch, sir.
We've hit some old water pipes.
They weren't on the architect's
plan, so... (groaning)
- Brian, prepare the reptiles.
- Sorry, BBC, thank you.
- [Mushtaq] Down there, move!
Go!
- [Asif] Stay up.
- You, you, and you.
- Fine, but it won't help.
This is my family, all of it.
There's hardly anyone out there
to add pressure, no grandparents.
- Oh, you mean the great
British public won't see
a mom and her kid in
trouble and feel for them?
(scoffs)
- [Shahid] What's funny?
- You boys talking about feelings.
Mildly ironic, is all.
- What does that mean?
- Doesn't matter what it means.
You three and you two.
You got any kids?
- No, no, she's not, she's a client.
- Uh, hotel keys.
- Oh, it's like that, is it?
Love in the afternoon.
Janet and John.
You're both married, aren't you?
A little bit of adultery.
- It's their business.
- Is it?
I'm just giving them a chance to repent
their sins before they meet their maker.
- What the fuck has it
got to do with you, boy?
- How long you been carrying on this sin?
- (laughs) Sin?
You're pointing a gun at my
head and you talk about sin?
- You dance before the fatted calf
of status and money while your daughters
go half-naked and you encourage them!
Let her husband see what she's
doing with this chief executive!
- Do you know what this will do
to my children, to her children?
- Did you think of them in your
hotel room when you were on top of her?
- Is that what you want to do,
you want to hurt our families?
- We want to hurt your families?
And you, what are you doing?
- Leave them, leave them!
And you, you're going alone.
Tell him he's coming out.
- We're about to open the door.
Tell them you've been treated okay
and the government should do the right
thing and give in to our demands, go on.
Use your real name and
beg for forgiveness.
(reporters chattering)
- My name is Hugh Stanford.
I'm being held hostage by a group of,
by some freedom fighters.
We're being treated well, but I believe
the people who are holding us are serious.
Like most of the people in
this situation, I'm British,
and I beg the government to negotiate
in good faith the just
demands of these men.
The release of all political
prisoners held without trial.
A basic right respected by
the whole civilized world.
- Sensational scenes
outside the Ithaca siege.
Hugh Stanford, Chief Executive
of Organite Chemicals,
literally begging for his life
and that of his fellow hostages.
While little progress
seems to have been made
by the negotiating team at the other end.
- Wanker!
- Meanwhile, the identity
of one of the gunmen
has been released as Shahid
Iqbal from Birmingham.
- Who authorized that?
- It can only increase pressure
on government ministers
to bring a resolution
to the siege sooner rather than later.
- There's been a bloody leak.
Grace!
Brian, I want Mrs. Iqbal in
protective custody, I mean now.
Before some bloody
vigilantes start in on her.
Grace, I need a meeting
with Sir John, ASA bloody P.
- Hugo, Hugo, I found this book,
textbook in Shahid's bedroom.
I gather that he wasn't
exactly the sharpest tool
in the box, so somebody
may have given it to him.
- Okay, let's have a look.
King's College Cambridge
library, due back March.
- [Sofia] We need to
get on to the proctor.
(tense music)
- We have to get this to
Fazal, that was the plan.
- How would you actually set it off?
- It has a series of triggers.
But I haven't connected them yet.
- Well, we can't get it to
Fazal while we're stuck here.
We may need to change the plans.
Finish your work.
- The library book clinched it.
Asif Mulley Abbabi, 24
years old, now doing a PhD
in high speed acceleration
of new metal compounds.
- Still at Cambridge?
- Yeah.
- New metal compounds
and they've got a mojo.
Are we talking about something
more than just a hostage crisis?
Listen, I need to talk to you.
Well, yes, about her, too.
What made you choose this place?
- You called me, remember?
After four years I thought
it must be important.
Clarissa?
- Oh, um, she's okay.
Well, it's what she says, at least.
- All I got was an email
when she quit university.
- Please, Lindsay, please listen.
I know where she is and
I'm getting her back home,
but I really need your
professional advice,
in complete confidence.
- I'm no longer a
practicing spook, remember?
- Well, as a scientist, then.
- You're on the Ithaca siege, aren't you?
It's a hostage crisis, isn't it?
Nothing to do with science.
You've got your own goons, haven't you?
- Listen, I'm really worried.
There's been a development.
I've been doing the usual stuff, you know,
character analysis, getting the background
for the negotiator, but...
One of the boys is doing
a PhD in metallurgy.
- So he likes rocks.
- They may be carrying
something a great deal
more dangerous than a rock.
What's your take on red mercury?
What would you use it for?
- No such thing.
Russian conspiracy theory stuff.
During the Cold War they said they'd
made a compound which
was so high explosive
it could contain fusion elements or,
at least set off a small
fusion aura, a dirty bomb.
They just call it red mercury
because of the density.
- So tell me, how easy would it be?
- To make a dirty bomb?
They'd need some packed ordinary explosive
and the stuff then could be fissionable.
Which means making a nuclear explosion.
Or, it could be just a
packed high yield explosive,
higher than anything we've got.
A bomb would work in several stages.
The bang gets bigger,
everything becomes radioactive.
And, that is, if red mercury exists.
- Armageddon.
- Not quite, but it could take out London.
Is that helpful?
Got what you want from me?
- There's something else that's not right.
Every time we make a
breakthrough someone else
seems to have got there first.
It's all over the 10 o'clock news.
I need some support, Lindsay.
- Alright.
We can be wines, I think.
- Yes?
- Oh, good afternoon.
We called earlier to see Mr. Mulley.
- Yes, but he wants to
know what it's about.
- Oh, wines.
We are supplying wines.
- Mr. Mulley?
Wine.
- So cold, huh?
- Not pleasant, sir, not pleasant.
I am Lindsay Warburton, my partner, Sofia.
I spoke to you earlier.
- This is about wine?
- Yes.
- We are already having
suppliers of foreign wines;
German, French, red, white, orange.
- Do you mean rose?
- All different colors.
(laughs)
- I've researched your wines and they are,
to tell the truth, rather down market.
- Oh, well, I just bought
what the suppliers told me.
- We are offering wines
straight from the vineyard
at the same price as
your imported Reisling.
- And we can let you select personally.
Organize a wine tasting
for your uh, selectors.
- We don't have selectors.
We are Muslims, we don't drink.
- Of course.
So, how do you select?
- My son used to give me some advice.
He recommended this especially.
- Oh, is this him?
Handsome boy, obviously very clever.
- Yes, yes.
Cambridge University, first class honors.
Natural sciences.
He says this is a very fine wine.
Perhaps, but it is difficult to ship.
Look at, how do you call it?
- The label.
A good year in Piedmont.
- Maybe for you, not for my customers.
They think this is too old.
They want something more up to date.
This year or at least last year.
Something they have heard of, too.
- How much is a bottle?
- My son says this will
sell for eight quid.
For you, two quid and 50 pence.
- I'll take a case.
- You have children?
- Yes.
- It's a big worry.
Almost a month, the boy
has gone, London must be.
You know, he should call at least.
I wish he would join the business.
He could be tasting your wines.
These extremists are not even Muslims.
They're destroying Islam,
putting father against son.
(laughs)
Are you paying cash?
- You guys don't happen to have a copy
of the Herald-Tribune, do you?
It can be the early edition.
- Sit!
Now!
(yelling)
- Fuck!
Oh, shit, ow!
- Get up you Yankee bastard!
I'll count to five!
One!
- He's in terrible pain!
Can't you see that his back's gone?
- Two!
- Sidney, get on your side. (groaning)
- Three!
Four!
- [Shahid] Cool it, man.
- I'm a physiotherapist.
Sidney's a patient of
mine, he asked me to lunch.
Please, let me help him.
I've got some medication in my bag.
Get him some water.
- Against regulations, of course, cheers.
- Cheers.
Mmm.
Our boy has taste.
Hugo?
- Hmm?
Oh, thank you.
- Oh, God!
(tense music)
What?
You didn't call.
I'm gonna take you home.
Come on.
- These are cigarette burns.
It's where I put out my joints.
To test endurance and reality
and because I get spasms.
My arm gets detached from my
being and I want to punish it.
Mommy, it will please you a lot
to learn that I've given up smoking.
So the risk of self-inflicted
burns henceforth is nil.
On the other hand, I am practicing lying.
Not self-deception like some, real lying.
Horrible untruths.
- [Sofia] Listen.
- I think you'd better take her in, Sofia.
- Yeah, come on.
- Neville comes with me.
- [Sofia] Come on.
(all laughing)
- Tell him.
We'd like to see him smile.
- It's done now, fix up, man.
- What the fuck are you lousing about for?
- Only passing the time.
You heard his joke?
- My teacher told me.
- What's the difference between
a caretaker and a terrorist?
You can sometimes
negotiate with a terrorist.
(laughs)
- It's not funny.
- It is if you know caretakers, man.
(laughs)
(hostages clapping)
Let's have some hot food, man, yeah?
- Just our luck.
Come to a restaurant for good
hummus, taramo, some kebabs.
- Greek salad.
And my specialty, beautiful kleftiko.
- A glass of Retsina.
- Retsina?
- Hey, don't knock it.
- You know, there's only two
Retsinas that you can drink?
Aeluca and the extreme north.
All the other vineyards
just add pine resin
to mask the flavor of the green grapes.
- How you know them things, man?
- You're a wine man.
- My dad.
Well, I used to taste wines for him.
All this talk is making me hungry.
Can't hurt.
- It's a restaurant.
- What, let her cook?
- Go stir something up, woman.
- No.
Don't move.
- What, keep them bored and hungry?
- And she burns the place down.
- So what if she does?
I thought you were willing
to die, like a martyr.
Lots of martyrs have burned alive.
Go for it.
- My kitchen is 100% safe.
My cooking is 200% famous.
- I thought Greek food
was like dollar kebab
and fish and chips and dirty, old...
- Oh listen, boy, don't bring
that stupid talk in here.
- [Shahid] Yeah, what is it, then?
- Tomata souvlaki, cotopolis,
baby chicken very brown
on the outside, very juicy on the inside.
(groaning)
- Mushtaq, man!
Mo, sorry.
- Go on, Mushtaq.
Let your boys eat.
Even if you don't give us any.
- There's plenty for everyone.
- Go with her.
No.
Not you.
Mo.
- Alright, first we get onions.
Oh, you boys got some stuff, huh?
Meat.
- Meat?
- Don't worry, it's kosher.
(sizzling)
Please chop onions in
smaller pieces, yeah?
- How many?
- I don't know.
You always know, you never count onions.
(chopping)
(wincing)
- No.
- Even tough guys cry when it comes
to doing women's work, no?
Ready!
- [Shahid] Wow!
- Get up!
Discipline, let them eat first.
(cell phone ringing)
- Am I speaking to Shahid or Asif?
(dramatic music)
- They have names.
- What, they know me?
- And Asif.
- Now they know we know.
- Now we wait.
Patience is the name of the game.
- [Jeff] I hope the minister agrees.
- Well, if you'll excuse me I'd better go
and deal with my dysfunctional daughter.
- There'll soon be more nutters
in here than over the road.
- I heard that, Brian.
(somber music)
- [Sofia] Clarissa?
- Hush, missus!
Clarissa's sleeping.
I'm Neville.
I'm cool, no harm.
I see her.
She never told you.
She never used my name?
- [Sofia] No.
- Please.
She do that to herself.
I know some are more charred, with love.
- Why?
Why does she do that?
I mean, when did, when...
- I could ask you them questions.
But maybe you don't
have the answers either.
Like the doctor she go to.
Most times she's good stuff.
But when she's using...
- Oh, God!
- She turn out of control.
I could stay and look after her.
(men chattering)
- Alright, could I?
- Are you okay?
- Yes, I am.
I'm going to have to get her father over.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah, he does at least
have security clearance,
as you probably remember, but...
I'm terribly sorry, I'm sure you
need this like a hole in the head.
- No, no it's...
Okay, do it.
- Oh, thank...
Thank you very...
- On the second night of the siege
at the Ithaca restaurant a second
hostage taker's identity
has been confirmed.
It's Asif Mulley Abbadi from Redding.
- We need to get her into a hospital.
- [Sofia] Yes.
- The boyfriend's gonna help.
He's not a bad bloke.
Mining engineer.
Seriously, he had to give it up.
- Why?
- Why?
Because they closed all the mines.
- Listen, I...
I haven't told them, my team,
about the bomb idea, red mercury.
- Are you crazy?
- Well, something's going on.
Somebody wants to go in hard.
- What's the alternative,
given the situation?
- Look, I know there
are a few British boys
who go out to Afghanistan,
train with Osama,
and one or two of them
have murdered people there
and in Israel, I know, but
they haven't done it here yet.
And in my view they're not
going to, not these boys.
- How can you be sure?
- Maybe they'd be better off
in the hills of Afghanistan.
There'd be something to do,
some purpose to their lives.
- Here we go.
- Well, what is Britain for?
At least in the past 400 years
it had big ideas about itself.
It looked out to the world.
And now, what have our
kids got to look up to?
Binge drinking and I'm a
celebrity, get me out of here.
Don't you think it's
all a little convenient?
The government saying that
terrorism is inevitable?
Isn't that what they want us to believe?
- Is it?
Three fanatics take a load of hostages,
threaten the world with a nuclear bomb
and it's the government's fault?
What's the matter with
this fucking country?
The Americans wouldn't hesitate.
We feel for maniacs,
fair play for maniacs!
- Isn't that what we're
supposed to be about, fair play?
- I need to take our daughter to casualty.
- You want me to do the washing up?
- No talking.
Not one word.
- [Penelope] Calm down, my son.
- Don't call me anything!
- You're a young man, I call you son.
(cell phone ringing)
- Who am I speaking to, Shahid or Asif?
- Just say what you want.
- I want to tell Shahid and Asif that
their families are being
protected by the police.
- Bastards, you bastards!
Do not tamper with our
families, we are warning you!
You will interrogate them!
If you touch one hair on my sister's head!
- Shahid, Asif, my name is Sofia.
I've been talking to your mom, Shahid.
And Asif, I met your father.
(groaning)
In fact, he sold me a
very nice case of wine.
- She's on a roll.
- Listen, would you like to talk to them?
Because we'd be very happy
to provide a video link.
- No!
- What's going on?
- They've got my dad!
- Tragic, at least he's not
being threatened by guns.
- You'll be the first to know.
When we show them we
can kill as well as die,
you'll be the proof.
- They've got my mom?
- Yeah.
- They won't harm them.
The state has to live by the law.
- Oh yeah, what about Guantanamo Bay?
- Americans.
- Doing the world's dirty work, thank you.
- You, every time you speak
you support global torture.
- Yeah, every time you eat food
you're supporting global capitalism.
- Christians.
(laughs)
You know your Christian religion?
It says you can do what
you like in life if,
at the last moment, you say
sorry and beg forgiveness.
And you're clean.
So I'm giving you a Christian chance.
Or do you want to die ignorant?
- Play your stupid games in your mosque
with your half-crazed mullahs.
- They have more sense in their shit
than you have in your head.
- That's just abuse.
Think about it!
If you pray five times a day to some god
who doesn't acknowledge
you and prostrate yourself
before something you
don't even understand,
you go soft in the head.
Fasting for a month and feasting at night.
Fucking hypocrisy!
Believing that God dictates
books, it rots your brain!
- Okay, get up.
You wanna walk out?
Go, go on.
If you're so fucking brave!
I said you're free!
Open the door and walk Mr. Philosopher!
- No, please!
- I'm letting him go.
He's a racist, blaspheming pig!
- [Gerry] No!
- He belongs in the gutter face down!
- No, that is the last thing he is!
He's worked...
- Really, love,
save your breath.
- He wrote a book
about a Bangladeshi British
boy in Wolverhampton.
He respects Islam.
He will apologize.
- What was the book?
- He's written several.
- But like, what, is it about Birmingham?
- He writes about what he knows.
- About motorcycles?
- Yes, that's right.
- You're Neil Ashton.
You wrote Brown Motorwolves.
Yeah, man, I read it!
Good!
It's like it was the
first book we was given
in school 'cause I know all
them places you went to.
- Oh, Shahid, the great reader.
You want to go with him?
(dramatic music)
- He ain't going anywhere, man.
- They want us to fight, back down.
You two, sit down.
We gotta make some decisions, Mo.
Mo!
We've got no strategy,
no sense in our moves.
- Okay, Einstein, I know the score.
We didn't join a game,
the jihad is not a game!
- Will you calm down?
Remember our teachings!
All martyrs are heroic, not
all of them are effective.
We can be both.
- Is that what you want?
I wanna see they don't damage my mom.
- No, no.
Let's start at the beginning.
We were brought together
to make this thing.
The jihad needs it, not here,
not blasting someone's restaurant!
They want us to follow a plan,
to use it as a deterrent,
a decisive weapon in
the political struggle!
Now you keep your discipline.
- Yeah, so what?
- Fazal.
We need to get hold of Fazal.
- He told us to run, he's a coward.
- [Asif] No!
- So why hasn't he called us?
- It's too dangerous, they'd listen in.
We need a new number, one they don't know.
(telephone ringing)
- Shahid?
- I want to speak to the lady.
- This is Sofia.
- We thought about your offer.
You show us our families on camera
and then we want to make a transmission.
- We'd be very happy for
you to do that, Asif.
Very happy.
- We don't want to transmit
anything political.
No demands, no politics.
We want to save the souls
of the people of Britain.
The Koran, our religion
tells us to read the Koran.
- Yes, we know and respect
your religion, Asif.
We'll send you the link.
A camera and a monitor will be delivered.
One of you can just
come out and pick it up.
- We won't show our faces.
- You better know what you're doing.
- Yes!
- Okay.
You want to do a deal?
- Yeah.
- No one knows you're here.
Where does your husband think you are?
- In Edinburgh.
- And if he finds out
you're here, with John?
- I'm supposed to be home tomorrow night.
But I won't be, will I?
- Suppose we switch your phone on
and you stay here and you take his call?
You pretend to be wherever you like,
but one call will be for me.
Now you play it right,
you're out of here tomorrow.
- Yeah, I can do that.
- What's your mobile number?
(speaking foreign language)
- [Mushtaq] By the dawn and the 10 nights.
By the even and the odd.
By the night as it passes.
The profound oath of one
who possesses intelligence.
Have you noted what your
law did to our Iran?
The town with tall buildings.
There was nothing like it anywhere.
It is you who brought it on yourselves
by not regarding the orphan.
And not advocating
charity towards the poor.
And consuming the inheritance
of helpless orphans
and loving money too much.
Return to your law, pleased and pleasing.
Welcome into my service.
Welcome into my paradise.
[Shahid] In the year of rejected slaves.
In the year of severe quakes.
The human will wonder what is happening.
- I suppose they think the
public will understand this?
- They want to show the Muslim
audience how pious they are.
- They're doing nothing of the sort.
Asif's bright.
He's up to something.
- Shahid, if you're listening to this,
and they tell me you would be allowed.
I beg you please, as a mother,
don't hurt any innocent people.
I know it's hard for you.
But the only way out
for you now with honor
is to show mercy like your religion says.
(crying)
Shahid, you're all I have
in the world, my boy!
Don't do this!
- [Reporter] Absolutely
enthralling series of events.
For the first time in this
drama we see the human cost-
- Yes, right.
Whole thing again, line by line.
(speaking foreign language)
So, in the name of Allah, the
merciful and compassionate.
- Mm-hmm.
- Stop it, could you?
H-A, Halif, H-A?
H-A, H-A?
Don't all Arabic letters
have a numerical value?
- Yes.
Ha is five and elef is one.
- Five, one.
Five, one, five, one, five, one.
(sighs)
Six, six, six.
How about (speaking foreign language)?
- Yes, they add up to 786.
In India and Pakistan
they often use 786 instead
of speaking or writing
this in the name of god.
- So, 786.
- Yeah.
- Six, six, six, right.
Now they're each doing
a verse of the Koran.
Which ones?
Hmm?
- First is 89.
- Right, wait.
- Second, second 99.
- Alright, so, 786, 666, 8999.
Thank you very much, that is very useful.
- [Amanda] The other side.
(cell phone ringing)
- Hello?
- Yes.
- Hung up.
- Was it your husband?
- I don't think so.
He will call.
- Okay.
- [Neil] Well, I need
something a bit more drastic.
- Neil, be careful.
- [Neil] 18, 19, 20. (all laughing)
- That's nice.
I thought you writers were feeble, fussed.
Is that the right word?
- Not for me, but yeah,
it's the right word.
- Oh.
You know, after we read
your book in school
the teacher asked us to write stories.
I wrote one.
And I tell you the truth,
yeah, as I wrote it
I was thinking that I
would like to be a writer.
This is before I joined the jihad,
but like, you started me off.
You're my inspiration.
Yeah, that's the word, man.
- I'm glad he did it for somebody.
- Yeah, for some kids.
And Mr. Forbes, he goes, I can get Ashton
to come and talk to you.
And he wrote to your printer and that,
but you made an excuse and never come.
- I might have been out of the country.
- I think he said you was on tour.
But I tell you...
I got the feeling, I was saying to myself
that you must be thinking, why should I go
to a shit school with crap kids.
'Cause our school was really
poor, you know, beggared.
Crass, but I don't think
that's the right word.
- I should have come, but...
I promise you that
thoughts of poor schools
and rich schools never crossed my mind.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, I could see that now.
But when you're immature and you don't
know the world, you think
people look down like.
- Only stupid people.
- Yeah.
- So let's be wise and cut the yap.
(cell phone ringing)
- Okay, get up, come on, let's go.
- Yes?
Michael!
Darling, didn't you get my message?
I left a message to explain
I couldn't get a signal up north.
You know, I left my charger at home,
so I just switched it off.
Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to worry you.
I'm fine!
Yeah, I'm fine.
How are you?
And the kids?
Yeah, I'm back in Edinburgh.
Cold.
I can't wait to get home.
Yeah, if I can get a shuttle tomorrow.
No, sweetheart, no need to get a car.
Yeah, I will.
I love you.
- Where is she?
- [Mushtaq] Sit down.
- What have you done with her?
- Sit!
(gun firing)
(screaming)
Asif!
- Stay there!
Give me the phone!
(dramatic music)
There's been gunfire,
no one has been hurt.
It's a false alarm.
Otherwise they'll come for us!
- I'll kill anyone that moves!
- But, he's bleeding!
- Shut up!
- No, no, no, please, no, no!
- Get back!
Leave it!
- I'm a nurse!
He's gonna die!
Do you wanna kill us all?
- Let her go to him.
- What have you done with her?
- She's okay, she's in there, she's okay!
(cell phone ringing)
- It didn't penetrate,
it tore my fucking leg.
- Hello, yes?
Yeah, we got the mojo!
But you gotta help us get it out of here.
Or I can't guarantee what's gonna happen.
- You must remain calm.
That is the sign of a true warrior.
Keep the device intact.
It must be preserved at
all cost and brought to us.
- Allah be praised.
No, no one else has the number.
Yeah, we thought so.
Okay, okay.
Now.
Okay, you can go when you want.
- What, now?
- Yeah.
(crying)
- Thank you, thank you.
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God, John!
What happened?
- [Asif] Come on, let's go.
- [Janet] I'm sorry.
- What are you doing?
- Later.
- Now the whole world will
know where she's been.
(crying)
- Oh, God!
- [Hugo] Sir, look!
- Oh, my God!
Like watching somebody being ejected
from the Big Brother house.
- Great, first one out, more to follow.
- Well done.
Positive report at last.
- What?
- She's making progress.
Neville's with her.
- Mushtaq!
We can do this.
We can get the mojo out.
- It may be more
important to keep it here.
- They'll report our
situation to the people,
the western press.
But there are other
journalists who will help us.
Now let's use this police psychology;
conciliation and negotiation.
- Don't get too clever.
They wanna destroy us.
(door opening)
(telephone ringing)
- Yes, Asif?
Go ahead.
- We wish to make a
statement that will not
be edited by the western
nations or prejudiced.
We want Al Ida'ah to take our statement
and put it out to the world.
Then we can discuss the
release of more hostages.
As a gesture of our goodwill,
we release one today.
She's yours.
- Shit!
(reporters chattering)
- [Roy] We seem to be doing
rather well, a second one out.
- Yeah.
- What exactly is Al Ida'ah?
- It's an Arabic channel with
British Muslims at the helm.
- They're actually broadcasting in Arabic?
Who funds it, BBC?
- Oh, nobody knows.
- We're sailing into very
dangerous waters here.
- They argue that they're
the ones defending
free speech and they have a battery
of lawyers to back them up.
You know, Roy, I think
we should go for it.
- Really?
- Well, there'll be something in it again.
- Let's do it.
(reporters chattering)
- The cameras are coming,
so be on your best behavior.
And remember, these guys are on our side.
Don't panic, either.
We haven't called them in to film
you getting your head cut off.
- Why do you pretend
to be what you're not?
- Neil, sit down!
- Sit down.
- I don't really wanna know
your great message to the world.
I'm standing because I
get deep vein thrombosis.
I'm not trying anything.
Yeah, but you don't
look like an idle sort.
What, you must have had a job?
- None of your business.
- It's very rude to say that.
The man asked you a question.
He wants to know what you do.
You're what, film star?
In Bollywood?
- Sure, yeah.
- No, something brainy, I reckon.
- Something to do with what you do.
- What, do beds and wash wounds?
Give injections?
- Something in a bigger field.
- Training to be a doctor?
- Psychiatrist?
- Inside the hospital or outside it?
- Out, right out.
- You tell us.
- I did the computer programming
on medical instruments;
electrodes, brain operations and all that.
- Will you go back to that after...
After this is over?
- [Jemma] Some of the best
nurses in my hospital are Indian.
- We ain't Indians,
woman, we're Pakistani.
- In what sense are you Pakistani?
You're as English as roast beef.
- No, well maybe British.
Jews and immigrants are British.
The rest of you are English and Irish
and Scottish and Welsh.
We are the only British.
- Semantics.
What I mean is, you know
nothing of Pakistan.
I bet you don't even have a decent accent.
- Lose the bet.
- Okay, so tell me why
forcing your religion
and its morals on us is necessary?
- It is predicted, it is the will of god.
- Yeah, and Santa comes
at Christmas, grow up.
- No, no man, I'm not growing up.
I have faith.
You can't see it because
you don't have faith.
You got nothing except wanting to win
a prize for one of your cliched books.
You know why I have faith?
Because this country
robbed me of my dignity.
Okay, I'm not hungry.
I can earn money.
I went to school and I'm stronger
than any racist that I meet and they
don't dare fuck with guys like me.
But this country gives us no dignity.
You cut off man's balls.
You feed him cultural pills
to dumb down his brain.
You take away his dignity.
I don't live for Manchester United.
I live for Islam.
(door opening)
- They're ready.
- Al Ida'ah, the Arabic cable channel,
has been admitted to the siege
to transmit their latest demands.
I have to warn viewers that the following
live transmission is not
under our editorial control.
- [Asif] All prisoners
held in Guantanamo, Iraq
and Afghanistan without
trial to be released.
Two Arab nations, Jordan
and Syria, should,
under the United Nations,
supervise this process
and give their assurance.
Timetable should be set within two months
for withdrawal of illegal forces of
the U.S. and other countries in Iraq.
Palestinians stay recognized by the world
and return of all territories
taken from Palestine.
Indian troops should
withdraw from Kashmir.
When these demands are accepted
this operation of the jihad ends with
the safe passage for us with the hostages.
- Alright.
So, when the TV crew comes out.
- Mm-hmm?
- We shouldn't search them.
Not here.
We let them think they've got away free
and then we tail them.
- And if we lose them?
- Then God help us all.
(suspenseful music)
- Unload it.
- Why?
- I've changed my mind.
- Fazal has to receive the mojo.
It's working out as planned!
- If we don't have the mojo,
we may never get out of here.
Unpack it.
Now.
When he's finished,
take the cameras and go.
(dramatic music)
(siren blaring)
(men yelling)
- Nothing.
No red mercury, blue mercury, green, even.
What were we expecting to find?
- A mojo.
- The game's over, Sofia.
Chatting them up is not an option.
I've been asked to call
SAS headquarters, Hereford.
- You can't be serious?
- Oh, let me be precise.
Don't fucking call in the special forces
unless you're prepared to
accept 70 or 80% casualties
and I quote the colonel of the regiment.
- But that means signing over
command, it's still too early.
- I know that, but it's still
a police operation until I do.
Look, I don't want a bloodbath in there,
Sofia, any more than you do,
but we have a matter
of hours and not days.
Alright?
- Paddington have just pulled
in a fourth man called Mo.
- What?
- [Brian] A Fazal Akbar.
He put in a call from his hotel
to our boys in the restaurant.
(tense music)
- Mr. Fazal?
Rumor is you don't pay
people for their services.
A lot of them want to talk to you
about that, quite naturally.
Fortunately for you, I was the first.
Now we'd like you to do something for us.
And I might add that (sighs),
we won't be leaving this place
until your cooperation is assured.
Is that clear?
(door opening)
(cell phone ringing)
- I've got someone here
who'd like to speak to Asif.
- Don't play politics with me.
Asif.
- Yeah.
- Asif, it's Sofia.
We've spoken before.
Listen, I feel I've got to know you,
just a little, you and
your friend, Shahid.
There are people who are
planning something dreadful.
Something that could lead to great harm
to you and to everyone in that restaurant.
But there's a way out.
You don't have to be part of this anymore.
We have someone here that
you should listen to.
- Boys. (chilling music)
You've done a great job for the cause.
But there have been too many martyrs.
We must return the
hostages to their families.
- Who's on the phone?
- Fazal is with the police.
- No discussion!
- He wants us to give them the mojo.
- You whore!
We've not come this far to give up now.
Just tell them to come for us!
They know what to expect!
That woman is bullshitting you.
Get it ready!
- Don't be stupid, man!
- Now!
- Look, Mushtaq, I'm in
charge of this thing!
You were brought in to help me!
And who the fuck are we to
make that kind of decision?
- What is it you've got?
- They're building
something in the kitchen.
- This is a town that's not
particularly fond of Americans.
But you already know that, right?
I was over here when the
Trade Center went down.
Next morning I went
around to my news agent.
He had a little store around the corner
from where I was staying.
Every day they held a copy
of the Tribune for me.
Run by a Pakistani family, in fact.
So I go down this morning
and Mr. Khan hands me
my copy of the newspaper and with tears
in his eyes he embraces
me and he was shaking.
And he says to me, "How
can people do such things?"
It's a bomb, right?
- Well, (clears throat), so...
It's time for last supper then.
- Here we go, Roy.
- Roy!
- Minister, how are you?
- Sofia.
- [Sofia] Minister.
- This is Hugo Briggs, our...
- No time for all that.
- Fine, thank you, gentlemen.
Please.
- Good to see you.
Any developments I need to
know about in the past hour?
- Well, Fazal's arrest seems
to have backfired somewhat,
minister, they're not
speaking to us presently.
- I see.
Well, I just wanted to say, Roy,
how grateful we've been for your
levelheadedness over this past week.
We really are impressed
by your work, as always.
And I do mean all of us.
- Thank you, minister.
- Your efforts, too, Sofia.
Though, I gather there's
been a bit of a domestic?
- Where did you hear that, sir?
- I always had a fond spot for that
first husband of yours, what's his name?
- Lindsay, my only husband, to date.
- Bound to be others.
(machine beeping)
- Everybody have to die.
So it's alright for me.
I never had no son.
So I give everything to
Electra, my daughter.
And now you come here with all this
and you say she has to die.
Why don't you let her go?
(sighs)
- It's not what I wanted.
- No?
You are none of you killers.
I know some gangsters, you are nice boys.
Anybody would be proud.
Your mother would not want
to see you doing this.
- My mother's dead.
- It's very sad.
I never had no boy.
But if I did, I would be proud.
You are mostly the clever one?
You're a science genius?
- No, not really a genius, no.
- It's beautiful.
Science people look forward in time.
Religious people look back.
I come from a place with
plenty superstition.
- Well, science can be a
lot of mumbo jumbo also.
You never read a textbook
of modern physics.
- No.
I can't, I read Greek newspaper.
Mystery, bold stories, romance.
You don't like romance, huh?
- Of course, we do.
We make great lovers.
- Your father very sad
when he lose your mother?
- I don't know.
I don't think he ever loved her,
or she him, in the romance way.
Anyway, he calls himself
by an English name.
Everyone can see he's Pakistani.
He's twice my age and doesn't know
where he belongs or what he's doing.
Profit, where's the money?
That's the little voice in his head.
- He don't want to hear no little voice.
He want to hear you.
His son.
- No, I'm afraid not.
He wanted me to be a PhD.
But not to be myself.
- I gather you're reluctant to hand over
that piece of paper, Roy, to the SAS?
- Well, I don't believe we've quite
got to that point yet, minister.
And quite frankly, I
don't see that sending in
a full frontal assault
with the SAS is necessarily
going to stop them from
detonating their bomb.
- Listen,
there's been a bit of a cock-up.
I blame 9/11.
It changed everything, didn't it?
- If you say so, minister.
- I mean, frankly, forgive
me for saying so, Sofia,
but MI5, MI6, are they really up for it?
- Up for what, minister?
- This new lot of terrorists.
At least with the IRA
we knew where we stood.
But this new lot, kamikaze
pilots, completely different.
Anyway, we've been,
we've been playing around
with some new ideas, new approaches.
This mojo machine they have,
what's it supposed to consist of?
- Red mercury.
- That's a load of bollocks, isn't it?
Couldn't set off a
firework on bonfire night.
- Well, they may have
access to other materials.
There's a question mark as...
- It's a wonderful image, isn't it?
Red mercury.
It's like something you'd
find in Aladdin's cave.
So we said right, let's sell
them some on the open market.
Bit of magic.
That way we flush out the fanatics.
- Do you mean, do you mean
that we sold it to them?
- With the help of our Russian friends.
- Would you bring me the bowls, please?
(screaming)
(dramatic music)
(gun firing)
(groaning)
- Shoot her!
(gun firing)
- There've been gunshots, sir.
- Thank you, Brian.
- Time to do your duty, Roy.
Hand over to the special forces.
I can deliver your note to
the cabinet office myself.
- My duty, minister, is to
decide the balance of events,
evidence, and my own conscience,
which, in this case, I've done.
This situation will remain a
police operation under my command.
- Everything I told you must,
of course, go no further than this room.
- Of course.
- He wanted to send in the SAS.
- I know.
- And risk the lives of at least 12 people
because of a bomb which he knew
from the beginning, would not go off!
- Who's gonna believe us?
Donald fucking Carr?
Certainly not those boys in there.
No, Sofia, we're here
to pick up the pieces,
so come on, let's get on with it.
Gentlemen!
(dramatic music)
(sirens blaring)
- [Electra] Mom!
- [Penelope] It's alright, it's alright.
(exploding)
(police yelling)
(gun firing)
(screaming)
(yelling)
(gun firing)
(sirens blaring)
(somber music)
(crying)
- Can we go home now?
- So we won't be meeting in paradise?
- No.
See you in court.
- As the authorities
weigh out the consequences
of their surprise assault here tonight,
there are unconfirmed reports that
some kind of dirty bomb
may have been smuggled
inside the restaurant
by the three terrorists.
Londoners only may have been
seconds away from a nuclear attack.
And with that chilling thought
I'm handing back to you
in the studio, Owen.
This is Donald Carr, BBC News,
outside the Ithaca
restaurant, central London.
(tense music)
(cars honking)
- Stop here.
Wait and hold the
briefcase till I come back.
(knocking)
The stuff.
- Genius, Fazal.
Genius.
- Can I touch it?
- Yeah.
Be careful.
- [Fazal] It looks real.
- You can't tell outside
a high class laboratory.
But it's what the Ruskie
scientists signed off on.
- How long will it take?
- Just a couple of days.
Okay, put it back.
(suspenseful music)
- Take our guest to Waterloo.
- Hang around, I won't be long.
- Dilawar, where are you, man?
(thudding and grunting)
(ominous music)
(speaking foreign language)
- What?
- Butchered notes!
- Forged?
Fazal!
(suspenseful music)
Fazal?
Fazal?
(doorbell ringing)
(glass shattering)
(ominous music)
Bastard!
Police.
No particular police station.
The terrorist hotline.
- That's slow, man.
- It doesn't have to be fast.
It's a switch. (snapping)
You wanna be far, far away.
(cell phone ringing)
Hello?
- Mo?
- Yeah.
- Get out of there.
- What?
- Clear the mojo and the computer.
Get the fuck out, now and don't call me!
- Get the stuff.
They're coming for us, the bags!
(dramatic music)
(tires screeching)
Come on, come on!
- Wheel holders!
I got a fucking permit!
- Back!
Come on!
(siren wailing)
- What the fuck's occurring
in the bloody party?
(yelling)
- [Asif] Down here, come on!
(screaming)
(dishes shattering)
- Everybody up!
Move, come on!
Fucking get against the wall, now!
Now, up against the fucking wall!
Come on, move!
(glass shattering)
Come on!
- We got hostages!
We'll take them with us!
- Stay back!
You, get over there now, come on!
- [Penelope] Electra, you're doing what?
- Drop it!
- You boys mad, what do you
think you're bloody doing?
- I said drop that!
- Bloody hell!
I have no money!
You want money you rob McDonald's!
- Shut up!
- Shut the door!
The door!
If they make any move, shoot.
(gun clicking)
Put your hands up.
Up, come on!
Any mobile phones?
- Yeah, in my pocket.
- Ah, an American.
- Lucky me.
- Good, everyone, one by
one take your clothes off.
Down to underwear.
Move!
You, move!
- How take clothes off with hands up?
- I've got the gun.
- You tell me this obvious thing?
Please, you take my money, you get out!
You don't want?
Police is outside.
- You, madam, clothes!
- You're not ashamed?
You have no mothers!
- Do what he says!
- Hey, does this send videos?
- Mm-hmm.
Also emails, you can surf the net,
download your favorite
surah from the Koran.
It takes out the trash, too.
- I prefer husband to do that.
- Shut up.
Put the fucking thing away!
Give these women back their clothes.
Empty their pockets, put all
the mobile phones on the table.
- What about us?
- No, the women!
We have to preserve their modesty.
You can have your clothes back, too!
- Turn around, all of you!
To the wall!
Hands on the wall and shush!
- This is bad business.
Where they go now?
We see their face.
- They don't intend to rob us.
(ominous music)
(telephone ringing)
- Answer it!
- Eight?
There's a table for 8:15.
Is that gonna be good?
- Stop fucking around, man!
What'd you think...
- Sorry.
(telephone ringing)
- Pick it up, Mo!
- We're closed.
- [Jeff] This is Superintendent Collins
from the Metropolitan police.
- Police!
- No negotiation.
- You're fighting for something?
Maybe we are with you.
You don't ask us.
You don't ask me if I'm against America.
Go on, ask.
Don't ask, I tell you.
I'm against war, all war.
Every kind of war, including yours.
- Mom!
- No, no, it's okay, it's okay,
they appreciate it, I speak out.
I was for freedom in Cyprus!
- That was Turkey and Greece,
they were fighting for land.
These guys are different.
- He's right.
- What?
- We gotta get the mojo out of here.
No?
Tell him.
- What?
- It's not finished yet, is it?
They need it, the WJ...
- Just chill, man!
(dramatic music)
- [Jeff] At least they've picked
the best Greek restaurant in London.
- Sofia, welcome, welcome to the party.
Jeff, you know, of course,
our chief negotiator
from the last shamble.
- Thanks for that.
- Actually I think we came out
of it rather well, no body bags.
- Nice to see you.
- Hugo Briggs, our forensics coordinator.
Of course, DCI Brian Evans,
whose boys are out there even now.
- Brian.
- Gentlemen, this is Sofia Warburton,
counter-terrorism, MI5 and,
contrary to popular rumor,
she's not here with the sole
task of dancing with MI6.
She's silver ranking, she
knows what she's doing.
And I want to make this absolutely clear,
she's a key member of my command team,
as are you all, of course.
Brian, the cordons in place?
- Yeah.
- [Roy] What else have we got?
- There's no sound or
vision, but we've begun
silent drilling to get
a camera in on them.
- How long will that take?
- Well, it's a minimum of 18 hours.
The owner of the restaurant is female.
There's one daughter and two members
of staff who don't get in till six.
- Have they been brought in?
- Yeah, we're talking to them now, ma'am.
As yet, there's no names of any customers
and no information on the terrorists.
- Let's not use that word.
It might be the wrong one.
Do we have anything on them at all?
- From our limited voice contact,
they appear to be British.
- How many?
- Three, although it
seems to be unplanned,
a moment of panic on their behalf.
- Prompted by?
- It was a tip-off.
We raided the flat maybe
minutes after they'd left.
- [Briggs] Forensic report is on the way.
- Any name of the outfit?
- No, not as yet.
We also did receive a
phone call, an informer.
There's a transcript, isn't there, Brian?
- Yeah.
That's three men,
they're all codenamed Mo,
and they're all armed.
Something about them carrying a mojo.
- A mojo?
- Yeah.
- What is that, exactly?
- I don't know.
- This informer, did he ask for anything?
- No.
We're running a trace, but
you know how long that takes.
Now look, our prime objective,
and I can't stress this enough,
is to lower the temperature in there.
Get them talking to Jeff.
I want the situation resolved without
an assault, if possible.
(dramatic music)
(tapping)
(tense music)
- [Penelope] Mister, please.
Let us sit down.
- Okay, Mo, move the trolley.
Turn around.
Sit in a line over there.
Move!
- Thank you.
You get extra in paradise.
- [Mushtaq] Don't make a mistake.
We're willing to die for the cause.
- What is the cause?
- Hi, this is Jeff Collins again.
Of effect, my job to deal with
the situation we all find ourselves in.
We've taken precautions
to protect the public.
We want to try to persuade
you to set the hostages free.
- Tell them we want a
car to take the mojo out.
- Where are we gonna take it?
- To where it's useful.
- Oh yeah, you really think
they're gonna let us out?
Alive?
- Use a mobile phone to call this number.
- [Asif] Mo!
- We'll call you back on a secure line.
Call 07700900876.
When you connect, we'll dim the light.
- This is Mo, I speak for the
hijackers, I mean, fighters.
No, we can't tell you how
many and who they are.
No!
They want information.
I heard a woman's voice, too.
- You, what's your name?
- Sidney, Sidney Lowe,
University of Buffalo, '76.
- It's good to raise your hand.
Talk to us, but not to each other.
- Look, why don't you at least
think of letting the women go?
They're not helping your cause.
- Well, we're not letting anyone go.
- Okay.
All I'm saying, if you
are gonna negotiate,
you need a strategy.
You know, give and take.
- You're the management
consultant, are you?
- No chit chat.
Look, don't tell us what to do.
We ask the questions!
I'll warn you, one more
word and I swear I'll...
- So we're gonna get out
the back door, right?
- Look, we may never get out.
- Hey, we got an assignment,
man, to get the thing ready.
- Yes!
- Come on guys, you really
need to talk to each other.
Do you have a plan?
- Hey, try and understand, we
don't care what happens to us.
- So our first demand is
to get the bloody suitcase,
the stuff, the whole mojo out of here
and out the fastest way.
- How the hell are we gonna do that?
- Tell them to give us a car and we take
a couple of the hostages and drive off.
If they try and stop us
we kill the hostages.
- You think they give a bloody
shit about the hostages?
- [Shahid] If they don't care
they'd storm the place now.
- I think whoever told them where we were
told them we got the fucking mojo.
- Then let's make fucking
sure they know about it.
Shout it out!
Or...
Move!
Write it out, yeah?
- Okay.
- 13 on this, 13 in a fucking room.
- Maybe one of you should leave?
- It's 12, man, you
can't even bloody count!
What do we say?
- The release of prisoners.
- [Sidney] Start small.
- What do you mean, small?
- Ask for something they can give you.
- Like what?
- What the fuck are you asking him for?
Write!
- I said release the prisoners.
- Guaranteed safe conduct to Algeria.
- No, there's anti-Islamic
government there.
- Saudi.
- [Asif] American stooges.
- Iran.
- Cheers.
- Liberated part of Pakistan.
- Liberated?
Dream on.
- Switzerland?
- [Shahid] Why Switzerland?
- Hey, you leave it out!
- [Shahid] What do you mean, leave it out?
- Switzerland, man, where are you living?
- It's neutral.
- Neutral?
- Yeah.
- You've been watching too
many second World War films.
- They're neutral between
England and Germany, man,
not neutral between us and them.
- May I ask who us and them are?
- Yeah, you know what we're talking about.
The insults to Islam.
- Insults, what insults?
Whoever insult you?
Prince Charles putting hanky on his head
and having tea with the mullahs.
- Why don't you ask the drug companies
to give free AIDS drugs to Africa?
- Because AIDS is a punishment from Allah.
- The little babies, too?
Allah kills them off in the thousands.
- You see what the girl said?
It's true.
I call that a problem.
Oh, mister, please, please
you write one more thing.
You say the British must
restore Elgin Marbles to Greece.
Okay, you say it's Penelope,
an old lady who want this, not you.
Because you, you don't care
personally for art or culture.
For you everything begin
with Allah being the prophet.
My dears, I know this because I live
with Muslims, Turkish, in Cyprus.
So you say, Penelope, an old lady,
want this and then you can kill me.
And everyone in Greece
will remember my name.
And they will look up and see a miracle
and they know when they walk in the street
in the petrol gas and the traffic,
that the gods are looking
down at them from the hills.
(glass shattering)
- [Mushtaq] Grenade!
(screaming)
(dramatic music)
- Thank you, Sergeant.
Fingerprints, Mr. Briggs, fingerprints.
(cameras clicking)
(reporters chattering)
- [Reporter] Do they have any weapons?
Give us a statement!
- To this point the hostage
takers have not made contact.
We have no indication of their demands.
- [Reporter] Is the government
prepared to negotiate with them?
- We are attempting to establish contact.
- [Reporter] When are we
going in for the kill?
- Well, obviously we can't
give you operational details.
- Donald Carr, BBC News.
Miss Warburton, are you able to confirm
that our special forces are on standby
and are involved in the operation?
- I can only confirm that this is entirely
a police-controlled operation.
There's no involvement of special forces.
- Well, can you tell us who is in charge
of the operation and what the strategy is?
- The commissioner
remains in overall control
and his instant team are
considering all possibilities.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Why did he ask that?
About special forces?
That's not on the agenda.
- It's probably just a rumor, ma'am.
- There's and such
thing as a rumor, Brian,
not where the BBC is concerned.
(suspenseful music)
(glass shattering)
- Good, I'll be right in.
- Alright, I'll be there
in about 20 minutes.
Okay.
He wants to see me.
But, the minister assures me we're
in complete control of the operation.
- Now I know we're in serious trouble.
We need to report some
progress and I mean quick.
- Yes.
- Are those their terms?
- [Hugo] It would appear so, sir.
- Let's hear them.
- Alright, you must make
no contentious moves.
Very literate.
Coming to any agreement
will be contingent on
your negotiating our terms in good faith.
Perfect English.
Signs off in Arabic and then it says
Mohammed, Mohammed and Mohammed.
Three Mo's.
- In the name of the all-powerful,
all-merciful, et cetera, et cetera.
That's all?
- Yeah, is that the same
handwriting as that?
- I guess.
Faltering Arabic mistakes.
- Yes.
- Pakis?
Pakistani lads?
- So terms, free all political prisoners,
Guantanamo, Iraqi women, French
law against head scarves.
Withdraw all troops from Iraq.
No armaments to Pakistan or India.
Safe conduct which the British government
must negotiate with a
neutral country and...
- And?
- Restore the Elgin Marbles
to the Greek people.
- Witty buggers.
(cell phone ringing)
- Yes?
- Positive ID, turn around, ASAP.
- Turn around.
- My instructions are to
take you to Whitehall.
The security clearance was for that only.
- What?
Who made these stupid rules?
- Yourself, during the
Saudi embassy alert.
- Well, I'm changing
them again, turn around.
Rosalind, tell the minister I have to
turn back and he can get me at control.
- Ah, Sofia.
- [Sofia] So?
- He's called Shahid Iqbal, car thief.
Persistent in his teens and one offense
as an eight year old up in Birmingham.
He's 24 years old now, lives in Hounslow.
- What else?
- Well, just the home address, really.
We don't profile petty thieves.
I will get the boys in Hounslow to pick up
whoever is at that address, though.
- Not yet.
- Why?
- Do you have any accommodation
set up in the building?
- I do.
Yes, we're spread out all round the place.
I thought the adjacent
space for you, ma'am.
Grace will show you where.
Grace!
- Thanks.
Tell him I'll take a couple of hours,
or maybe more if nothing happens.
- Anything you need from home?
- There's no one at home, Grace.
I'll send my PA in the morning, thanks.
(tense music)
(knocking)
- I'm looking for Shahid Iqbal.
- For what?
- I'm wanting to get in
contact with his family.
- What's he done?
- Are you family?
- Mother.
- Shahid's mother?
- Are you from the DSS?
- [Sofia] No, no, I'm not.
- [Mrs. Iqbal] He's not injured?
- No, no, no, no he's not.
But he is in trouble.
I'm afraid he's in very bad trouble.
- I know.
I know all about it.
- You do?
Would you be willing, um...
Are you alone?
- Come in.
It can't get worse.
You're a lady detective, I take it?
Well, he signed on.
He only worked for me at the laundry.
It's not really wages.
You know, a mother can't
pay her son to help out.
I don't call that fraud!
- I'm not here about benefit fraud.
- Oh, not cars again?
- No, no.
Mrs. Iqbal, um, does
Shahid go to the mosque?
- No, they all go from round here.
But not him, not my husband either.
Don't know what he's been doing
these past 18 years in Bangladesh,
but when he was here
he didn't give a toss.
He drank and he had bacon.
- Does Shahid live here with you?
- When he wants a free meal or a bath.
His stuff's here in there.
Have a look.
(chilling music)
He wasn't a great one for books.
- [Sofia] Did he go to school around here?
- Down the road.
Stanislaus.
You haven't told me what he's done.
It's all over now.
He got in with the lads around here.
The decent people!
I mean ever since then,
he's turned over a new leaf.
He keeps talking about the
right way of doing things.
And whatever he's done,
whatever our disagreements,
he's always looked after me.
- Do you mind if I hang
onto this for a while?
It appears to be out of date.
- It's no use to me, duck.
(kids chattering)
- Can I help you?
- Oh, no, I'm just looking around.
- Just for one deviant
moment there I thought,
ah, prospective middle class parent.
We could do with some of them.
But obviously not.
- No.
My daughter's finished with school.
- Oh, where?
- Oh, South London.
Allens.
- Oh, yes.
So, you're here for?
- I'm, uh...
I'm with the security services.
- Oh, Paul Ford, deputy.
Can I help?
- Did a Shahid Iqbal
pass through your hands?
- Slipped through is a better description.
Yeah, everyone knows Shahid around here.
Suspensions, expulsions,
you know the drill.
But he's charming, bounces back.
He reformed, found religion.
Look.
Can't do anything about those characters.
They're there morning and evening.
They seemed to do Shahid a lot of good.
He came back in all his gear,
we let him preach the gospel.
He was urging the sixth
formers to give up drugs.
Stop robbing cars, petrol stations.
And to bow to Allah five times a day.
- Thank you.
- Is he alright?
- No.
Did he ever show an interest in chemistry?
- Not according to his TCSE results.
- Do you know Shahid Iqbal?
- Traitor.
- Oh?
Why?
- When you don't have
discipline you become dangerous.
- Is he part of your group?
- No, he's an anarchist.
In Islam you subject yourself
to the will of Allah.
Brother Shahid could not
surrender his ego to the cause.
- And you can?
- [Man] Come on.
- Go.
- You.
No, not you.
Big mouth.
You live in London?
- No.
- So where do you live, Sidney?
- New York.
- New York?
Used to have some tall buildings.
- We still do.
- So do you pay American taxes?
- What I can't get away with.
- So you pay for the rockets and bombs
that the Americans use on our people?
- Everybody has to pay taxes.
- But you pay a lot.
Don't you?
- Yeah.
But if I voted for Mr. Kerry
I'd probably be paying a lot more.
- Whoever you vote for
an American gets in.
- That's the way the system works.
- That's democracy, he
pays taxes, he gets a vote.
- Democracy?
You're preaching to them about democracy?
- Democracy?
What's democracy?
Men raise their hands and
decide on how to make war.
How to make money.
Where do they get their sense?
Only the book can tell people what to do
because the book was written by God.
- The book?
The book, only one book?
Why don't you try reading two books?
That's democracy, you
can't spit on democracy.
(spits)
They don't agree with you,
your friends, your Muslim friends.
Do you?
Go then, spit!
(neighbors chattering)
- Hello?
Anybody here?
- Mom?
What are you doing here?
- What have you done to your...
You're coming home.
- This is my home.
- Darling, you can't...
- It's okay.
I'd introduce you to my flatmates,
but they're not exactly
Colonial Cup material.
- Oh, Clarissa, don't be ridiculous.
- I'm fine here.
Brilliant.
- I want you home for
myself as much as for you.
I miss you.
- Why do you call it home?
You're hardly ever there.
You're always off taking away somebody's
civil rights or whatever it is you do.
I don't want to rattle around in
some big empty house you call home.
(cell phone ringing)
- Hello?
- I'll call you in a day, I...
Promise.
- Yes, yes I'll be there.
Look, I have got to go, but...
But do that.
Call me?
- Okay.
- Please?
- [Asif] How important are you?
That's what we wanna know.
- Who, me?
- Yeah, you.
- Well, to my wife and kids I think
I'm pretty important, yeah.
- To the Pentagon?
- They don't ask me for advice.
- I'm sure.
So what are you doing in London?
- I was hoping to score some
tickets for Mary Poppins.
- Cut the crap!
Tell us what you're doing in London.
- I'm a lawyer.
- For the U.S. government?
- No, no.
I represent people more
powerful than the government;
Mobile, Texaco, Shell
International, Saudi Arabia.
I also do pro bono work; Red Cross,
Red Crescent, Palestinian Relief Fund.
Look, you look like
you're an intelligent guy,
capable of rational thought.
- [Shahid] You live with your children?
- Yeah, two of them.
The other two are with my former wife.
- Two wives?
- No, it's alright.
I knew a man once in Cyprus, had 40 wives.
He applied to the
Guinness Book of Records.
- You.
What's your name?
- John, it's John.
- What's your job, John?
- [John] I'm in chemicals.
- Chemicals?
- I'm Chief Executive for Organite.
- Well, that's huge.
- Look, if it's money that
you want, my family will pay.
- Money?
You're offering us money?
- Isn't that what you want?
- No.
What's your name?
- Janet.
- I was thinking, have the
cameras take pictures of them.
Then the public can see who they are.
Pressure from his company
on the government.
- My colleagues might just be pleased
to hear that there's a vacancy.
- Okay.
(telephone ringing)
(snapping)
- Mohammed?
- Some of our guests are gonna
show their faces at the window.
If you try anything, they die.
- Hold on, Mohammed.
Before they do that can you tell us
that everyone is fit and well in there?
If anyone's going to
appear, please tell me
so I can instruct the police
cordons to stand back.
- I want news cameras.
- I have to run that by my commander.
- We'll give you three minutes.
Up.
- Live hostages on national TV?
The minister's gonna love that.
- The boys will, though.
Well, you've gotta give them something.
- Yes, Jeff's right.
We know one of them but we need
time to identify the others.
- Where are we with the
cameras and the mikes?
- We've actually had a
bit of a glitch, sir.
We've hit some old water pipes.
They weren't on the architect's
plan, so... (groaning)
- Brian, prepare the reptiles.
- Sorry, BBC, thank you.
- [Mushtaq] Down there, move!
Go!
- [Asif] Stay up.
- You, you, and you.
- Fine, but it won't help.
This is my family, all of it.
There's hardly anyone out there
to add pressure, no grandparents.
- Oh, you mean the great
British public won't see
a mom and her kid in
trouble and feel for them?
(scoffs)
- [Shahid] What's funny?
- You boys talking about feelings.
Mildly ironic, is all.
- What does that mean?
- Doesn't matter what it means.
You three and you two.
You got any kids?
- No, no, she's not, she's a client.
- Uh, hotel keys.
- Oh, it's like that, is it?
Love in the afternoon.
Janet and John.
You're both married, aren't you?
A little bit of adultery.
- It's their business.
- Is it?
I'm just giving them a chance to repent
their sins before they meet their maker.
- What the fuck has it
got to do with you, boy?
- How long you been carrying on this sin?
- (laughs) Sin?
You're pointing a gun at my
head and you talk about sin?
- You dance before the fatted calf
of status and money while your daughters
go half-naked and you encourage them!
Let her husband see what she's
doing with this chief executive!
- Do you know what this will do
to my children, to her children?
- Did you think of them in your
hotel room when you were on top of her?
- Is that what you want to do,
you want to hurt our families?
- We want to hurt your families?
And you, what are you doing?
- Leave them, leave them!
And you, you're going alone.
Tell him he's coming out.
- We're about to open the door.
Tell them you've been treated okay
and the government should do the right
thing and give in to our demands, go on.
Use your real name and
beg for forgiveness.
(reporters chattering)
- My name is Hugh Stanford.
I'm being held hostage by a group of,
by some freedom fighters.
We're being treated well, but I believe
the people who are holding us are serious.
Like most of the people in
this situation, I'm British,
and I beg the government to negotiate
in good faith the just
demands of these men.
The release of all political
prisoners held without trial.
A basic right respected by
the whole civilized world.
- Sensational scenes
outside the Ithaca siege.
Hugh Stanford, Chief Executive
of Organite Chemicals,
literally begging for his life
and that of his fellow hostages.
While little progress
seems to have been made
by the negotiating team at the other end.
- Wanker!
- Meanwhile, the identity
of one of the gunmen
has been released as Shahid
Iqbal from Birmingham.
- Who authorized that?
- It can only increase pressure
on government ministers
to bring a resolution
to the siege sooner rather than later.
- There's been a bloody leak.
Grace!
Brian, I want Mrs. Iqbal in
protective custody, I mean now.
Before some bloody
vigilantes start in on her.
Grace, I need a meeting
with Sir John, ASA bloody P.
- Hugo, Hugo, I found this book,
textbook in Shahid's bedroom.
I gather that he wasn't
exactly the sharpest tool
in the box, so somebody
may have given it to him.
- Okay, let's have a look.
King's College Cambridge
library, due back March.
- [Sofia] We need to
get on to the proctor.
(tense music)
- We have to get this to
Fazal, that was the plan.
- How would you actually set it off?
- It has a series of triggers.
But I haven't connected them yet.
- Well, we can't get it to
Fazal while we're stuck here.
We may need to change the plans.
Finish your work.
- The library book clinched it.
Asif Mulley Abbabi, 24
years old, now doing a PhD
in high speed acceleration
of new metal compounds.
- Still at Cambridge?
- Yeah.
- New metal compounds
and they've got a mojo.
Are we talking about something
more than just a hostage crisis?
Listen, I need to talk to you.
Well, yes, about her, too.
What made you choose this place?
- You called me, remember?
After four years I thought
it must be important.
Clarissa?
- Oh, um, she's okay.
Well, it's what she says, at least.
- All I got was an email
when she quit university.
- Please, Lindsay, please listen.
I know where she is and
I'm getting her back home,
but I really need your
professional advice,
in complete confidence.
- I'm no longer a
practicing spook, remember?
- Well, as a scientist, then.
- You're on the Ithaca siege, aren't you?
It's a hostage crisis, isn't it?
Nothing to do with science.
You've got your own goons, haven't you?
- Listen, I'm really worried.
There's been a development.
I've been doing the usual stuff, you know,
character analysis, getting the background
for the negotiator, but...
One of the boys is doing
a PhD in metallurgy.
- So he likes rocks.
- They may be carrying
something a great deal
more dangerous than a rock.
What's your take on red mercury?
What would you use it for?
- No such thing.
Russian conspiracy theory stuff.
During the Cold War they said they'd
made a compound which
was so high explosive
it could contain fusion elements or,
at least set off a small
fusion aura, a dirty bomb.
They just call it red mercury
because of the density.
- So tell me, how easy would it be?
- To make a dirty bomb?
They'd need some packed ordinary explosive
and the stuff then could be fissionable.
Which means making a nuclear explosion.
Or, it could be just a
packed high yield explosive,
higher than anything we've got.
A bomb would work in several stages.
The bang gets bigger,
everything becomes radioactive.
And, that is, if red mercury exists.
- Armageddon.
- Not quite, but it could take out London.
Is that helpful?
Got what you want from me?
- There's something else that's not right.
Every time we make a
breakthrough someone else
seems to have got there first.
It's all over the 10 o'clock news.
I need some support, Lindsay.
- Alright.
We can be wines, I think.
- Yes?
- Oh, good afternoon.
We called earlier to see Mr. Mulley.
- Yes, but he wants to
know what it's about.
- Oh, wines.
We are supplying wines.
- Mr. Mulley?
Wine.
- So cold, huh?
- Not pleasant, sir, not pleasant.
I am Lindsay Warburton, my partner, Sofia.
I spoke to you earlier.
- This is about wine?
- Yes.
- We are already having
suppliers of foreign wines;
German, French, red, white, orange.
- Do you mean rose?
- All different colors.
(laughs)
- I've researched your wines and they are,
to tell the truth, rather down market.
- Oh, well, I just bought
what the suppliers told me.
- We are offering wines
straight from the vineyard
at the same price as
your imported Reisling.
- And we can let you select personally.
Organize a wine tasting
for your uh, selectors.
- We don't have selectors.
We are Muslims, we don't drink.
- Of course.
So, how do you select?
- My son used to give me some advice.
He recommended this especially.
- Oh, is this him?
Handsome boy, obviously very clever.
- Yes, yes.
Cambridge University, first class honors.
Natural sciences.
He says this is a very fine wine.
Perhaps, but it is difficult to ship.
Look at, how do you call it?
- The label.
A good year in Piedmont.
- Maybe for you, not for my customers.
They think this is too old.
They want something more up to date.
This year or at least last year.
Something they have heard of, too.
- How much is a bottle?
- My son says this will
sell for eight quid.
For you, two quid and 50 pence.
- I'll take a case.
- You have children?
- Yes.
- It's a big worry.
Almost a month, the boy
has gone, London must be.
You know, he should call at least.
I wish he would join the business.
He could be tasting your wines.
These extremists are not even Muslims.
They're destroying Islam,
putting father against son.
(laughs)
Are you paying cash?
- You guys don't happen to have a copy
of the Herald-Tribune, do you?
It can be the early edition.
- Sit!
Now!
(yelling)
- Fuck!
Oh, shit, ow!
- Get up you Yankee bastard!
I'll count to five!
One!
- He's in terrible pain!
Can't you see that his back's gone?
- Two!
- Sidney, get on your side. (groaning)
- Three!
Four!
- [Shahid] Cool it, man.
- I'm a physiotherapist.
Sidney's a patient of
mine, he asked me to lunch.
Please, let me help him.
I've got some medication in my bag.
Get him some water.
- Against regulations, of course, cheers.
- Cheers.
Mmm.
Our boy has taste.
Hugo?
- Hmm?
Oh, thank you.
- Oh, God!
(tense music)
What?
You didn't call.
I'm gonna take you home.
Come on.
- These are cigarette burns.
It's where I put out my joints.
To test endurance and reality
and because I get spasms.
My arm gets detached from my
being and I want to punish it.
Mommy, it will please you a lot
to learn that I've given up smoking.
So the risk of self-inflicted
burns henceforth is nil.
On the other hand, I am practicing lying.
Not self-deception like some, real lying.
Horrible untruths.
- [Sofia] Listen.
- I think you'd better take her in, Sofia.
- Yeah, come on.
- Neville comes with me.
- [Sofia] Come on.
(all laughing)
- Tell him.
We'd like to see him smile.
- It's done now, fix up, man.
- What the fuck are you lousing about for?
- Only passing the time.
You heard his joke?
- My teacher told me.
- What's the difference between
a caretaker and a terrorist?
You can sometimes
negotiate with a terrorist.
(laughs)
- It's not funny.
- It is if you know caretakers, man.
(laughs)
(hostages clapping)
Let's have some hot food, man, yeah?
- Just our luck.
Come to a restaurant for good
hummus, taramo, some kebabs.
- Greek salad.
And my specialty, beautiful kleftiko.
- A glass of Retsina.
- Retsina?
- Hey, don't knock it.
- You know, there's only two
Retsinas that you can drink?
Aeluca and the extreme north.
All the other vineyards
just add pine resin
to mask the flavor of the green grapes.
- How you know them things, man?
- You're a wine man.
- My dad.
Well, I used to taste wines for him.
All this talk is making me hungry.
Can't hurt.
- It's a restaurant.
- What, let her cook?
- Go stir something up, woman.
- No.
Don't move.
- What, keep them bored and hungry?
- And she burns the place down.
- So what if she does?
I thought you were willing
to die, like a martyr.
Lots of martyrs have burned alive.
Go for it.
- My kitchen is 100% safe.
My cooking is 200% famous.
- I thought Greek food
was like dollar kebab
and fish and chips and dirty, old...
- Oh listen, boy, don't bring
that stupid talk in here.
- [Shahid] Yeah, what is it, then?
- Tomata souvlaki, cotopolis,
baby chicken very brown
on the outside, very juicy on the inside.
(groaning)
- Mushtaq, man!
Mo, sorry.
- Go on, Mushtaq.
Let your boys eat.
Even if you don't give us any.
- There's plenty for everyone.
- Go with her.
No.
Not you.
Mo.
- Alright, first we get onions.
Oh, you boys got some stuff, huh?
Meat.
- Meat?
- Don't worry, it's kosher.
(sizzling)
Please chop onions in
smaller pieces, yeah?
- How many?
- I don't know.
You always know, you never count onions.
(chopping)
(wincing)
- No.
- Even tough guys cry when it comes
to doing women's work, no?
Ready!
- [Shahid] Wow!
- Get up!
Discipline, let them eat first.
(cell phone ringing)
- Am I speaking to Shahid or Asif?
(dramatic music)
- They have names.
- What, they know me?
- And Asif.
- Now they know we know.
- Now we wait.
Patience is the name of the game.
- [Jeff] I hope the minister agrees.
- Well, if you'll excuse me I'd better go
and deal with my dysfunctional daughter.
- There'll soon be more nutters
in here than over the road.
- I heard that, Brian.
(somber music)
- [Sofia] Clarissa?
- Hush, missus!
Clarissa's sleeping.
I'm Neville.
I'm cool, no harm.
I see her.
She never told you.
She never used my name?
- [Sofia] No.
- Please.
She do that to herself.
I know some are more charred, with love.
- Why?
Why does she do that?
I mean, when did, when...
- I could ask you them questions.
But maybe you don't
have the answers either.
Like the doctor she go to.
Most times she's good stuff.
But when she's using...
- Oh, God!
- She turn out of control.
I could stay and look after her.
(men chattering)
- Alright, could I?
- Are you okay?
- Yes, I am.
I'm going to have to get her father over.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah, he does at least
have security clearance,
as you probably remember, but...
I'm terribly sorry, I'm sure you
need this like a hole in the head.
- No, no it's...
Okay, do it.
- Oh, thank...
Thank you very...
- On the second night of the siege
at the Ithaca restaurant a second
hostage taker's identity
has been confirmed.
It's Asif Mulley Abbadi from Redding.
- We need to get her into a hospital.
- [Sofia] Yes.
- The boyfriend's gonna help.
He's not a bad bloke.
Mining engineer.
Seriously, he had to give it up.
- Why?
- Why?
Because they closed all the mines.
- Listen, I...
I haven't told them, my team,
about the bomb idea, red mercury.
- Are you crazy?
- Well, something's going on.
Somebody wants to go in hard.
- What's the alternative,
given the situation?
- Look, I know there
are a few British boys
who go out to Afghanistan,
train with Osama,
and one or two of them
have murdered people there
and in Israel, I know, but
they haven't done it here yet.
And in my view they're not
going to, not these boys.
- How can you be sure?
- Maybe they'd be better off
in the hills of Afghanistan.
There'd be something to do,
some purpose to their lives.
- Here we go.
- Well, what is Britain for?
At least in the past 400 years
it had big ideas about itself.
It looked out to the world.
And now, what have our
kids got to look up to?
Binge drinking and I'm a
celebrity, get me out of here.
Don't you think it's
all a little convenient?
The government saying that
terrorism is inevitable?
Isn't that what they want us to believe?
- Is it?
Three fanatics take a load of hostages,
threaten the world with a nuclear bomb
and it's the government's fault?
What's the matter with
this fucking country?
The Americans wouldn't hesitate.
We feel for maniacs,
fair play for maniacs!
- Isn't that what we're
supposed to be about, fair play?
- I need to take our daughter to casualty.
- You want me to do the washing up?
- No talking.
Not one word.
- [Penelope] Calm down, my son.
- Don't call me anything!
- You're a young man, I call you son.
(cell phone ringing)
- Who am I speaking to, Shahid or Asif?
- Just say what you want.
- I want to tell Shahid and Asif that
their families are being
protected by the police.
- Bastards, you bastards!
Do not tamper with our
families, we are warning you!
You will interrogate them!
If you touch one hair on my sister's head!
- Shahid, Asif, my name is Sofia.
I've been talking to your mom, Shahid.
And Asif, I met your father.
(groaning)
In fact, he sold me a
very nice case of wine.
- She's on a roll.
- Listen, would you like to talk to them?
Because we'd be very happy
to provide a video link.
- No!
- What's going on?
- They've got my dad!
- Tragic, at least he's not
being threatened by guns.
- You'll be the first to know.
When we show them we
can kill as well as die,
you'll be the proof.
- They've got my mom?
- Yeah.
- They won't harm them.
The state has to live by the law.
- Oh yeah, what about Guantanamo Bay?
- Americans.
- Doing the world's dirty work, thank you.
- You, every time you speak
you support global torture.
- Yeah, every time you eat food
you're supporting global capitalism.
- Christians.
(laughs)
You know your Christian religion?
It says you can do what
you like in life if,
at the last moment, you say
sorry and beg forgiveness.
And you're clean.
So I'm giving you a Christian chance.
Or do you want to die ignorant?
- Play your stupid games in your mosque
with your half-crazed mullahs.
- They have more sense in their shit
than you have in your head.
- That's just abuse.
Think about it!
If you pray five times a day to some god
who doesn't acknowledge
you and prostrate yourself
before something you
don't even understand,
you go soft in the head.
Fasting for a month and feasting at night.
Fucking hypocrisy!
Believing that God dictates
books, it rots your brain!
- Okay, get up.
You wanna walk out?
Go, go on.
If you're so fucking brave!
I said you're free!
Open the door and walk Mr. Philosopher!
- No, please!
- I'm letting him go.
He's a racist, blaspheming pig!
- [Gerry] No!
- He belongs in the gutter face down!
- No, that is the last thing he is!
He's worked...
- Really, love,
save your breath.
- He wrote a book
about a Bangladeshi British
boy in Wolverhampton.
He respects Islam.
He will apologize.
- What was the book?
- He's written several.
- But like, what, is it about Birmingham?
- He writes about what he knows.
- About motorcycles?
- Yes, that's right.
- You're Neil Ashton.
You wrote Brown Motorwolves.
Yeah, man, I read it!
Good!
It's like it was the
first book we was given
in school 'cause I know all
them places you went to.
- Oh, Shahid, the great reader.
You want to go with him?
(dramatic music)
- He ain't going anywhere, man.
- They want us to fight, back down.
You two, sit down.
We gotta make some decisions, Mo.
Mo!
We've got no strategy,
no sense in our moves.
- Okay, Einstein, I know the score.
We didn't join a game,
the jihad is not a game!
- Will you calm down?
Remember our teachings!
All martyrs are heroic, not
all of them are effective.
We can be both.
- Is that what you want?
I wanna see they don't damage my mom.
- No, no.
Let's start at the beginning.
We were brought together
to make this thing.
The jihad needs it, not here,
not blasting someone's restaurant!
They want us to follow a plan,
to use it as a deterrent,
a decisive weapon in
the political struggle!
Now you keep your discipline.
- Yeah, so what?
- Fazal.
We need to get hold of Fazal.
- He told us to run, he's a coward.
- [Asif] No!
- So why hasn't he called us?
- It's too dangerous, they'd listen in.
We need a new number, one they don't know.
(telephone ringing)
- Shahid?
- I want to speak to the lady.
- This is Sofia.
- We thought about your offer.
You show us our families on camera
and then we want to make a transmission.
- We'd be very happy for
you to do that, Asif.
Very happy.
- We don't want to transmit
anything political.
No demands, no politics.
We want to save the souls
of the people of Britain.
The Koran, our religion
tells us to read the Koran.
- Yes, we know and respect
your religion, Asif.
We'll send you the link.
A camera and a monitor will be delivered.
One of you can just
come out and pick it up.
- We won't show our faces.
- You better know what you're doing.
- Yes!
- Okay.
You want to do a deal?
- Yeah.
- No one knows you're here.
Where does your husband think you are?
- In Edinburgh.
- And if he finds out
you're here, with John?
- I'm supposed to be home tomorrow night.
But I won't be, will I?
- Suppose we switch your phone on
and you stay here and you take his call?
You pretend to be wherever you like,
but one call will be for me.
Now you play it right,
you're out of here tomorrow.
- Yeah, I can do that.
- What's your mobile number?
(speaking foreign language)
- [Mushtaq] By the dawn and the 10 nights.
By the even and the odd.
By the night as it passes.
The profound oath of one
who possesses intelligence.
Have you noted what your
law did to our Iran?
The town with tall buildings.
There was nothing like it anywhere.
It is you who brought it on yourselves
by not regarding the orphan.
And not advocating
charity towards the poor.
And consuming the inheritance
of helpless orphans
and loving money too much.
Return to your law, pleased and pleasing.
Welcome into my service.
Welcome into my paradise.
[Shahid] In the year of rejected slaves.
In the year of severe quakes.
The human will wonder what is happening.
- I suppose they think the
public will understand this?
- They want to show the Muslim
audience how pious they are.
- They're doing nothing of the sort.
Asif's bright.
He's up to something.
- Shahid, if you're listening to this,
and they tell me you would be allowed.
I beg you please, as a mother,
don't hurt any innocent people.
I know it's hard for you.
But the only way out
for you now with honor
is to show mercy like your religion says.
(crying)
Shahid, you're all I have
in the world, my boy!
Don't do this!
- [Reporter] Absolutely
enthralling series of events.
For the first time in this
drama we see the human cost-
- Yes, right.
Whole thing again, line by line.
(speaking foreign language)
So, in the name of Allah, the
merciful and compassionate.
- Mm-hmm.
- Stop it, could you?
H-A, Halif, H-A?
H-A, H-A?
Don't all Arabic letters
have a numerical value?
- Yes.
Ha is five and elef is one.
- Five, one.
Five, one, five, one, five, one.
(sighs)
Six, six, six.
How about (speaking foreign language)?
- Yes, they add up to 786.
In India and Pakistan
they often use 786 instead
of speaking or writing
this in the name of god.
- So, 786.
- Yeah.
- Six, six, six, right.
Now they're each doing
a verse of the Koran.
Which ones?
Hmm?
- First is 89.
- Right, wait.
- Second, second 99.
- Alright, so, 786, 666, 8999.
Thank you very much, that is very useful.
- [Amanda] The other side.
(cell phone ringing)
- Hello?
- Yes.
- Hung up.
- Was it your husband?
- I don't think so.
He will call.
- Okay.
- [Neil] Well, I need
something a bit more drastic.
- Neil, be careful.
- [Neil] 18, 19, 20. (all laughing)
- That's nice.
I thought you writers were feeble, fussed.
Is that the right word?
- Not for me, but yeah,
it's the right word.
- Oh.
You know, after we read
your book in school
the teacher asked us to write stories.
I wrote one.
And I tell you the truth,
yeah, as I wrote it
I was thinking that I
would like to be a writer.
This is before I joined the jihad,
but like, you started me off.
You're my inspiration.
Yeah, that's the word, man.
- I'm glad he did it for somebody.
- Yeah, for some kids.
And Mr. Forbes, he goes, I can get Ashton
to come and talk to you.
And he wrote to your printer and that,
but you made an excuse and never come.
- I might have been out of the country.
- I think he said you was on tour.
But I tell you...
I got the feeling, I was saying to myself
that you must be thinking, why should I go
to a shit school with crap kids.
'Cause our school was really
poor, you know, beggared.
Crass, but I don't think
that's the right word.
- I should have come, but...
I promise you that
thoughts of poor schools
and rich schools never crossed my mind.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, I could see that now.
But when you're immature and you don't
know the world, you think
people look down like.
- Only stupid people.
- Yeah.
- So let's be wise and cut the yap.
(cell phone ringing)
- Okay, get up, come on, let's go.
- Yes?
Michael!
Darling, didn't you get my message?
I left a message to explain
I couldn't get a signal up north.
You know, I left my charger at home,
so I just switched it off.
Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to worry you.
I'm fine!
Yeah, I'm fine.
How are you?
And the kids?
Yeah, I'm back in Edinburgh.
Cold.
I can't wait to get home.
Yeah, if I can get a shuttle tomorrow.
No, sweetheart, no need to get a car.
Yeah, I will.
I love you.
- Where is she?
- [Mushtaq] Sit down.
- What have you done with her?
- Sit!
(gun firing)
(screaming)
Asif!
- Stay there!
Give me the phone!
(dramatic music)
There's been gunfire,
no one has been hurt.
It's a false alarm.
Otherwise they'll come for us!
- I'll kill anyone that moves!
- But, he's bleeding!
- Shut up!
- No, no, no, please, no, no!
- Get back!
Leave it!
- I'm a nurse!
He's gonna die!
Do you wanna kill us all?
- Let her go to him.
- What have you done with her?
- She's okay, she's in there, she's okay!
(cell phone ringing)
- It didn't penetrate,
it tore my fucking leg.
- Hello, yes?
Yeah, we got the mojo!
But you gotta help us get it out of here.
Or I can't guarantee what's gonna happen.
- You must remain calm.
That is the sign of a true warrior.
Keep the device intact.
It must be preserved at
all cost and brought to us.
- Allah be praised.
No, no one else has the number.
Yeah, we thought so.
Okay, okay.
Now.
Okay, you can go when you want.
- What, now?
- Yeah.
(crying)
- Thank you, thank you.
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God, John!
What happened?
- [Asif] Come on, let's go.
- [Janet] I'm sorry.
- What are you doing?
- Later.
- Now the whole world will
know where she's been.
(crying)
- Oh, God!
- [Hugo] Sir, look!
- Oh, my God!
Like watching somebody being ejected
from the Big Brother house.
- Great, first one out, more to follow.
- Well done.
Positive report at last.
- What?
- She's making progress.
Neville's with her.
- Mushtaq!
We can do this.
We can get the mojo out.
- It may be more
important to keep it here.
- They'll report our
situation to the people,
the western press.
But there are other
journalists who will help us.
Now let's use this police psychology;
conciliation and negotiation.
- Don't get too clever.
They wanna destroy us.
(door opening)
(telephone ringing)
- Yes, Asif?
Go ahead.
- We wish to make a
statement that will not
be edited by the western
nations or prejudiced.
We want Al Ida'ah to take our statement
and put it out to the world.
Then we can discuss the
release of more hostages.
As a gesture of our goodwill,
we release one today.
She's yours.
- Shit!
(reporters chattering)
- [Roy] We seem to be doing
rather well, a second one out.
- Yeah.
- What exactly is Al Ida'ah?
- It's an Arabic channel with
British Muslims at the helm.
- They're actually broadcasting in Arabic?
Who funds it, BBC?
- Oh, nobody knows.
- We're sailing into very
dangerous waters here.
- They argue that they're
the ones defending
free speech and they have a battery
of lawyers to back them up.
You know, Roy, I think
we should go for it.
- Really?
- Well, there'll be something in it again.
- Let's do it.
(reporters chattering)
- The cameras are coming,
so be on your best behavior.
And remember, these guys are on our side.
Don't panic, either.
We haven't called them in to film
you getting your head cut off.
- Why do you pretend
to be what you're not?
- Neil, sit down!
- Sit down.
- I don't really wanna know
your great message to the world.
I'm standing because I
get deep vein thrombosis.
I'm not trying anything.
Yeah, but you don't
look like an idle sort.
What, you must have had a job?
- None of your business.
- It's very rude to say that.
The man asked you a question.
He wants to know what you do.
You're what, film star?
In Bollywood?
- Sure, yeah.
- No, something brainy, I reckon.
- Something to do with what you do.
- What, do beds and wash wounds?
Give injections?
- Something in a bigger field.
- Training to be a doctor?
- Psychiatrist?
- Inside the hospital or outside it?
- Out, right out.
- You tell us.
- I did the computer programming
on medical instruments;
electrodes, brain operations and all that.
- Will you go back to that after...
After this is over?
- [Jemma] Some of the best
nurses in my hospital are Indian.
- We ain't Indians,
woman, we're Pakistani.
- In what sense are you Pakistani?
You're as English as roast beef.
- No, well maybe British.
Jews and immigrants are British.
The rest of you are English and Irish
and Scottish and Welsh.
We are the only British.
- Semantics.
What I mean is, you know
nothing of Pakistan.
I bet you don't even have a decent accent.
- Lose the bet.
- Okay, so tell me why
forcing your religion
and its morals on us is necessary?
- It is predicted, it is the will of god.
- Yeah, and Santa comes
at Christmas, grow up.
- No, no man, I'm not growing up.
I have faith.
You can't see it because
you don't have faith.
You got nothing except wanting to win
a prize for one of your cliched books.
You know why I have faith?
Because this country
robbed me of my dignity.
Okay, I'm not hungry.
I can earn money.
I went to school and I'm stronger
than any racist that I meet and they
don't dare fuck with guys like me.
But this country gives us no dignity.
You cut off man's balls.
You feed him cultural pills
to dumb down his brain.
You take away his dignity.
I don't live for Manchester United.
I live for Islam.
(door opening)
- They're ready.
- Al Ida'ah, the Arabic cable channel,
has been admitted to the siege
to transmit their latest demands.
I have to warn viewers that the following
live transmission is not
under our editorial control.
- [Asif] All prisoners
held in Guantanamo, Iraq
and Afghanistan without
trial to be released.
Two Arab nations, Jordan
and Syria, should,
under the United Nations,
supervise this process
and give their assurance.
Timetable should be set within two months
for withdrawal of illegal forces of
the U.S. and other countries in Iraq.
Palestinians stay recognized by the world
and return of all territories
taken from Palestine.
Indian troops should
withdraw from Kashmir.
When these demands are accepted
this operation of the jihad ends with
the safe passage for us with the hostages.
- Alright.
So, when the TV crew comes out.
- Mm-hmm?
- We shouldn't search them.
Not here.
We let them think they've got away free
and then we tail them.
- And if we lose them?
- Then God help us all.
(suspenseful music)
- Unload it.
- Why?
- I've changed my mind.
- Fazal has to receive the mojo.
It's working out as planned!
- If we don't have the mojo,
we may never get out of here.
Unpack it.
Now.
When he's finished,
take the cameras and go.
(dramatic music)
(siren blaring)
(men yelling)
- Nothing.
No red mercury, blue mercury, green, even.
What were we expecting to find?
- A mojo.
- The game's over, Sofia.
Chatting them up is not an option.
I've been asked to call
SAS headquarters, Hereford.
- You can't be serious?
- Oh, let me be precise.
Don't fucking call in the special forces
unless you're prepared to
accept 70 or 80% casualties
and I quote the colonel of the regiment.
- But that means signing over
command, it's still too early.
- I know that, but it's still
a police operation until I do.
Look, I don't want a bloodbath in there,
Sofia, any more than you do,
but we have a matter
of hours and not days.
Alright?
- Paddington have just pulled
in a fourth man called Mo.
- What?
- [Brian] A Fazal Akbar.
He put in a call from his hotel
to our boys in the restaurant.
(tense music)
- Mr. Fazal?
Rumor is you don't pay
people for their services.
A lot of them want to talk to you
about that, quite naturally.
Fortunately for you, I was the first.
Now we'd like you to do something for us.
And I might add that (sighs),
we won't be leaving this place
until your cooperation is assured.
Is that clear?
(door opening)
(cell phone ringing)
- I've got someone here
who'd like to speak to Asif.
- Don't play politics with me.
Asif.
- Yeah.
- Asif, it's Sofia.
We've spoken before.
Listen, I feel I've got to know you,
just a little, you and
your friend, Shahid.
There are people who are
planning something dreadful.
Something that could lead to great harm
to you and to everyone in that restaurant.
But there's a way out.
You don't have to be part of this anymore.
We have someone here that
you should listen to.
- Boys. (chilling music)
You've done a great job for the cause.
But there have been too many martyrs.
We must return the
hostages to their families.
- Who's on the phone?
- Fazal is with the police.
- No discussion!
- He wants us to give them the mojo.
- You whore!
We've not come this far to give up now.
Just tell them to come for us!
They know what to expect!
That woman is bullshitting you.
Get it ready!
- Don't be stupid, man!
- Now!
- Look, Mushtaq, I'm in
charge of this thing!
You were brought in to help me!
And who the fuck are we to
make that kind of decision?
- What is it you've got?
- They're building
something in the kitchen.
- This is a town that's not
particularly fond of Americans.
But you already know that, right?
I was over here when the
Trade Center went down.
Next morning I went
around to my news agent.
He had a little store around the corner
from where I was staying.
Every day they held a copy
of the Tribune for me.
Run by a Pakistani family, in fact.
So I go down this morning
and Mr. Khan hands me
my copy of the newspaper and with tears
in his eyes he embraces
me and he was shaking.
And he says to me, "How
can people do such things?"
It's a bomb, right?
- Well, (clears throat), so...
It's time for last supper then.
- Here we go, Roy.
- Roy!
- Minister, how are you?
- Sofia.
- [Sofia] Minister.
- This is Hugo Briggs, our...
- No time for all that.
- Fine, thank you, gentlemen.
Please.
- Good to see you.
Any developments I need to
know about in the past hour?
- Well, Fazal's arrest seems
to have backfired somewhat,
minister, they're not
speaking to us presently.
- I see.
Well, I just wanted to say, Roy,
how grateful we've been for your
levelheadedness over this past week.
We really are impressed
by your work, as always.
And I do mean all of us.
- Thank you, minister.
- Your efforts, too, Sofia.
Though, I gather there's
been a bit of a domestic?
- Where did you hear that, sir?
- I always had a fond spot for that
first husband of yours, what's his name?
- Lindsay, my only husband, to date.
- Bound to be others.
(machine beeping)
- Everybody have to die.
So it's alright for me.
I never had no son.
So I give everything to
Electra, my daughter.
And now you come here with all this
and you say she has to die.
Why don't you let her go?
(sighs)
- It's not what I wanted.
- No?
You are none of you killers.
I know some gangsters, you are nice boys.
Anybody would be proud.
Your mother would not want
to see you doing this.
- My mother's dead.
- It's very sad.
I never had no boy.
But if I did, I would be proud.
You are mostly the clever one?
You're a science genius?
- No, not really a genius, no.
- It's beautiful.
Science people look forward in time.
Religious people look back.
I come from a place with
plenty superstition.
- Well, science can be a
lot of mumbo jumbo also.
You never read a textbook
of modern physics.
- No.
I can't, I read Greek newspaper.
Mystery, bold stories, romance.
You don't like romance, huh?
- Of course, we do.
We make great lovers.
- Your father very sad
when he lose your mother?
- I don't know.
I don't think he ever loved her,
or she him, in the romance way.
Anyway, he calls himself
by an English name.
Everyone can see he's Pakistani.
He's twice my age and doesn't know
where he belongs or what he's doing.
Profit, where's the money?
That's the little voice in his head.
- He don't want to hear no little voice.
He want to hear you.
His son.
- No, I'm afraid not.
He wanted me to be a PhD.
But not to be myself.
- I gather you're reluctant to hand over
that piece of paper, Roy, to the SAS?
- Well, I don't believe we've quite
got to that point yet, minister.
And quite frankly, I
don't see that sending in
a full frontal assault
with the SAS is necessarily
going to stop them from
detonating their bomb.
- Listen,
there's been a bit of a cock-up.
I blame 9/11.
It changed everything, didn't it?
- If you say so, minister.
- I mean, frankly, forgive
me for saying so, Sofia,
but MI5, MI6, are they really up for it?
- Up for what, minister?
- This new lot of terrorists.
At least with the IRA
we knew where we stood.
But this new lot, kamikaze
pilots, completely different.
Anyway, we've been,
we've been playing around
with some new ideas, new approaches.
This mojo machine they have,
what's it supposed to consist of?
- Red mercury.
- That's a load of bollocks, isn't it?
Couldn't set off a
firework on bonfire night.
- Well, they may have
access to other materials.
There's a question mark as...
- It's a wonderful image, isn't it?
Red mercury.
It's like something you'd
find in Aladdin's cave.
So we said right, let's sell
them some on the open market.
Bit of magic.
That way we flush out the fanatics.
- Do you mean, do you mean
that we sold it to them?
- With the help of our Russian friends.
- Would you bring me the bowls, please?
(screaming)
(dramatic music)
(gun firing)
(groaning)
- Shoot her!
(gun firing)
- There've been gunshots, sir.
- Thank you, Brian.
- Time to do your duty, Roy.
Hand over to the special forces.
I can deliver your note to
the cabinet office myself.
- My duty, minister, is to
decide the balance of events,
evidence, and my own conscience,
which, in this case, I've done.
This situation will remain a
police operation under my command.
- Everything I told you must,
of course, go no further than this room.
- Of course.
- He wanted to send in the SAS.
- I know.
- And risk the lives of at least 12 people
because of a bomb which he knew
from the beginning, would not go off!
- Who's gonna believe us?
Donald fucking Carr?
Certainly not those boys in there.
No, Sofia, we're here
to pick up the pieces,
so come on, let's get on with it.
Gentlemen!
(dramatic music)
(sirens blaring)
- [Electra] Mom!
- [Penelope] It's alright, it's alright.
(exploding)
(police yelling)
(gun firing)
(screaming)
(yelling)
(gun firing)
(sirens blaring)
(somber music)
(crying)
- Can we go home now?
- So we won't be meeting in paradise?
- No.
See you in court.
- As the authorities
weigh out the consequences
of their surprise assault here tonight,
there are unconfirmed reports that
some kind of dirty bomb
may have been smuggled
inside the restaurant
by the three terrorists.
Londoners only may have been
seconds away from a nuclear attack.
And with that chilling thought
I'm handing back to you
in the studio, Owen.
This is Donald Carr, BBC News,
outside the Ithaca
restaurant, central London.
(tense music)