| Revision as of 14:47, 20 September 2012 editGeorge Spurlin (talk | contribs)500 editsm grammar fix← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 19:10, 30 April 2024 edit undoShaws username (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Rollbackers12,458 edits Adding local short description: "1985 attack on the Turkish embassy, Canada", overriding Wikidata description "Terrorist attack on a Turkish embassy"Tag: Shortdesc helper | ||
| (67 intermediate revisions by 39 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Short description|1985 attack on the Turkish embassy, Canada}} | |||
| {{Infobox civilian attack | {{Infobox civilian attack | ||
| | title = 1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa | | title = 1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa | ||
| | image = Turkey, Ottawa.JPG | | image = Turkey, Ottawa.JPG | ||
| | image_size = 300px | | image_size = 300px | ||
| | caption = Turkish embassy building seen in 2005 | |||
| | location = ] | | location = ], ], Canada | ||
| | target = ] | | target = ] | ||
| | coordinates = {{coord|45|26|5|N|75|40|32|W|region:CA|display=inline,title}} | | coordinates = {{coord|45|26|5|N|75|40|32|W|region:CA|display=inline,title}} | ||
| Line 23: | Line 25: | ||
| | footage = | | footage = | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| ''' |
The '''1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa''' was the storming and attack that took place on 12 March 1985 by agents of the ] against the ], ].<ref> CBC Archives. March 12, 1985. Accessed 2009-06-11. 2009-06-15.</ref> | ||
| Inside the embassy, the assailants rounded up ]s, including the wife of the Turkish ambassador, his teenage daughter, and embassy staff members—at least 12 people.<ref name="siege" /> The attack resulted in a single death, on-duty security officer Claude Brunelle—a 31-year-old student from the ]—who shot at the gunmen and was shot in return, being killed instantly.<ref name="men in black" /><ref name="honor" /> | |||
| ⚫ | ==The attack== | ||
| ⚫ | The storming of the embassy began shortly before 7 a.m., when three militants in a rented moving truck arrived at the embassy gate. They scaled the security gate and began shooting at the security hut. |
||
| ⚫ | Using a powerful homemade ], the gunmen blasted open the heavy front door of the two-storey, ] home and embassy office |
||
| ⚫ | Ambassador ], a veteran career diplomat with ] experience, who had been in Canada less than two years, escaped by leaping from the second floor window at the back of the embassy, breaking his right arm, right leg and pelvis.<ref>. Time Magazine. Monday, Mar. 25, 1985</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | The police response was almost immediate. Within three minutes, officers were on the scene. Four hours later, the gunmen released all hostages and surrendered<ref name="seized"> The New York Times. |
||
| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
| {{History of Ottawa}} | {{History of Ottawa}} | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | The 1985 attack was the third assault on ] personnel in ] by Armenian gunmen in three years:<ref name="seized" /> in April 1982, the embassy's commercial counsellor, Kani Güngör, was shot and critically injured in a parking garage. The ] quickly took credit for the attack, which left the ] paralyzed. Four months later, in August 1982, the embassy's ], Col. ], was shot to death as he drove to work. The ] claimed responsibility.<ref name="men in black" /> In addition, other attacks by Armenians on Turkish targets, particularly diplomats, occurred in other countries during 1973–1994.<ref>Hugh Pope, "Opinion: Turkey and Armenia Inch Forward: Over soccer, the two countries' leaders begin to work on the future instead of getting mired in the past." ''Los Angeles Times'', September 16, 2008.</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | ==Indictment and trial== | ||
| ⚫ | The |
||
| ⚫ | A year later, on October |
||
| ⚫ | ==The attack== | ||
| ⚫ | After the ] gave its verdict and was dismissed, |
||
| ⚫ | The storming of the embassy on Wurtemberg Street, in Ottawa's embassy district about {{Convert|2|km|mi}} east of ], began shortly before 7 a.m., when three militants in a rented moving truck arrived at the embassy gate. They scaled the security gate and began shooting at the bulletproof security hut. Security officer Claude Brunelle, a 31-year-old student from the ], was on duty. As soon as the attack began, Brunelle called in the emergency code and left the hut to confront the gunmen. He fired four shots at the gunmen and took two shots in the chest, which killed Brunelle instantly.<ref name="men in black">Our 'Men in Black' (Part 1). The Ottawa Citizen. February 9, 2002 Saturday Edition, pg. B1 / Front</ref><ref name="honor" /> | ||
| ⚫ | Using a powerful homemade ], the gunmen blasted open the heavy front door of the two-storey, ] home and embassy office. Once inside, they began rounding up ]s, including the wife of the Turkish ambassador, his teenage daughter and embassy staff members<ref name="siege">"Three charged with murder in siege." ''The Globe and Mail''. March 13, 1985</ref>—at least 12 people. | ||
| In February 2005 the ] decided to allow one of the men, Mr. Marachelian, to visit his family for the first time in 20 years. The board granted him two visits over the following six months, during which he had to be accompanied by a corrections officer.<ref> by Nick Petter. The Ottawa Citizen, Ontario, Canada. March 7, 2005 Final Edition</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | Ambassador ], a veteran career diplomat with ] experience, who had been in Canada less than two years, escaped by leaping from the second floor window at the back of the embassy, breaking his right arm, right leg and pelvis.<ref>. Time Magazine. Monday, Mar. 25, 1985</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | The police response was almost immediate. Within three minutes, officers were on the scene. Four hours later, the gunmen released all hostages and surrendered<ref name="seized">Foreign Desk. March 13, 1985. "." ''The New York Times''. Late City Final Edition. Section A; Page 3, Column 2.</ref>—they tossed out their weapons and came out of the building with their hands up, asking only that they not be shot by police.<ref name="men in black"/><ref name="siege"/> Earlier, in telephone conversations with reporters, they demanded, in exchange for releasing their hostages, that ] acknowledge the 1915 ] and ]. The gunmen, who said they were members of the ] told ] police they blasted their way into the Turkish embassy "to make Turkey pay for the ]" of 1915.<ref name="siege"/> | ||
| ⚫ | Marachelian and Noubarian were released from prison on February |
||
| ⚫ | ==Indictment and trial== | ||
| Rafi Titizian was also released during April 2010 and sent to Armenia on the day of his release to join his family living in Armenia. | |||
| ⚫ | The attackers—'''Kevork Marachelian''', 35, of ], ]; '''Rafi Panos Titizian''', 27, of ], ]; and '''Ohannes Noubarian''', 30, of ]—were charged with ] of security officer Claude Brunelle during the assault on the Turkish Embassy.<ref name="siege"/> They also faced charges of attacking the premises of a diplomat, endangering the life and liberty of Ambassador Coskun Kirca, setting off an explosion to get into the embassy and possessing grenades, handguns and shotguns.<ref name="trial">3 go on trial over slaying at embassy. The Globe and Mail (Canada). October 14, 1986. News; Pg. A18</ref> | ||
| Chahe Philippe Arslanian, a lawyer for two of the accused, said that his clients were not guilty: "It's evident that surely it was not a criminal act, but a political act," Arslanian told reporters.<ref>Raid 'political act': lawyer . The Globe and Mail (Canada). March 13, 1985</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | A year later, on 14 October 1986, the three men went on trial. An ] jury deliberated for 8.5 hours before finding Noubarian, Marachelian, and Titizian guilty of first-degree murder.<ref name="trial" /><ref>{{cite news |title=3 Armenians Convicted In Attack in Ottawa |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/01/world/around-the-world-3-armenians-convicted-in-attack-in-ottawa.html |access-date=27 June 2018 |agency=Reuters |work=The New York Times |date=November 1, 1986}}</ref> ] imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment with no possibility of ] for 25 years.<ref name="spectators">"Spectators weep as 3 sentenced to life in Turkish Embassy slaying." ''The Globe and Mail''. November 1, 1986. p. A13.</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | After the ] gave its verdict and was dismissed, Noubarian told the court that what the three did "sprang from the national ideals we shared."<ref name="spectators" /><blockquote>However, something undesirable and regrettable happened and Mr. Brunelle died, resulting in the clouding of our aims and our goals and also resulting in our persecution and trial as simple criminals. But imprisoning individuals would not harm the ]. Individuals are mortal, but the Armenian nation lives and as long as it lives it will always demand its rights.<ref name="spectators" /></blockquote>In February 2005, the ] decided to allow one of the men, Marachelian, to visit his family for the first time in 20 years. The board granted him two visits over the following six months, during which he had to be accompanied by a corrections officer.<ref> by Nick Petter. The Ottawa Citizen, Ontario, Canada. March 7, 2005 Final Edition</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | Marachelian and Noubarian were released from prison on 19 February 2010.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722015112/http://news.az/articles/9905 |date=2011-07-22 }}. News.az, February 14, 2010</ref> Titizian was also released during April 2010 and sent to Armenia on the day of his release to join his family living in that country. | ||
| ==Consequences== | ==Consequences== | ||
| The attack on the Turkish Embassy was a major international embarrassment for Canada. For years, foreign diplomats in Ottawa had asked the Canadian government for better security, but to no avail. Turkey declared Ottawa to be one of the most dangerous places in the world for Turkish diplomats.<ref name="men in black"/> | The attack on the Turkish Embassy was a major international embarrassment for ]. For years, foreign diplomats in Ottawa had asked the ] for better security, but to no avail. Turkey declared Ottawa to be one of the most dangerous places in the world for Turkish diplomats.<ref name="men in black"/> | ||
| Canada needed a unit that was capable of defeating a determined and well-armed group of militants.<ref> by James Ogle, Darnell Bass, 2006. ISBN |
Canada needed a unit that was capable of defeating a determined and well-armed group of militants.<ref> by James Ogle, Darnell Bass, 2006. {{ISBN|1-897113-39-0}}, {{ISBN|978-1-897113-39-4}}. Pg 221</ref> This need was ignored until the 12 March 1985 attack on the embassy: the event changed the Canadian government's attitude toward militants and led to the creation of the ] ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Horn|first=Col. Bernd|editor-last=Spence|editor-first=Dr. Emily|title=Special Operations Forces : A National Capability|publisher=Canadian Defence Academy Press|date=2011|chapter=Chapter 1: The Canadian Special Operations Forces’ Legacy|isbn=9781100189345|url=http://madgic.library.carleton.ca/deposit/govt/ca_fed/DND_Sofnational_2011.pdf|access-date=28 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="men in black"/> | ||
| Claude Brunelle was awarded the ] for delaying the assailants long enough to allow the Turkish Ambassador to escape.<ref name="honor">{{cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/ |
Claude Brunelle was awarded the ] for delaying the assailants long enough to allow the Turkish Ambassador to escape.<ref name="honor">{{cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=195512&t=3&ln=Brunelle |title=Decorations for Bravery: M. Claude Gerard Brunelle, S.C. |date=2009-04-30 |publisher=] |access-date=2009-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623032751/http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=195512&t=3&ln=Brunelle |archive-date=2018-06-23 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="siege"/> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 59: | Line 62: | ||
| {{Ottawa}} | {{Ottawa}} | ||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Turkish Embassy Attack In Ottawa}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Turkish Embassy Attack In Ottawa}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 19:10, 30 April 2024
1985 attack on the Turkish embassy, Canada| 1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa | |
|---|---|
 Turkish embassy building seen in 2005 | |
| Location | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°26′5″N 75°40′32″W / 45.43472°N 75.67556°W / 45.43472; -75.67556 |
| Date | March 12, 1985 7 a.m |
| Target | Turkish Embassy, Ottawa |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Perpetrators | Armenian Revolutionary Army |
The 1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa was the storming and attack that took place on 12 March 1985 by agents of the Armenian Revolutionary Army against the Turkish embassy in Ottawa, Canada.
Inside the embassy, the assailants rounded up hostages, including the wife of the Turkish ambassador, his teenage daughter, and embassy staff members—at least 12 people. The attack resulted in a single death, on-duty security officer Claude Brunelle—a 31-year-old student from the University of Ottawa—who shot at the gunmen and was shot in return, being killed instantly.
Background
| Part of a series on | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History of Ottawa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Timeline | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Historical individuals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Ontario portal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1985 attack was the third assault on Turkish diplomatic personnel in Ottawa by Armenian gunmen in three years: in April 1982, the embassy's commercial counsellor, Kani Güngör, was shot and critically injured in a parking garage. The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia quickly took credit for the attack, which left the attaché paralyzed. Four months later, in August 1982, the embassy's military attaché, Col. Atilla Altıkat, was shot to death as he drove to work. The Justice Commandos Against Armenian Genocide claimed responsibility. In addition, other attacks by Armenians on Turkish targets, particularly diplomats, occurred in other countries during 1973–1994.
The attack
The storming of the embassy on Wurtemberg Street, in Ottawa's embassy district about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Parliament Hill, began shortly before 7 a.m., when three militants in a rented moving truck arrived at the embassy gate. They scaled the security gate and began shooting at the bulletproof security hut. Security officer Claude Brunelle, a 31-year-old student from the University of Ottawa, was on duty. As soon as the attack began, Brunelle called in the emergency code and left the hut to confront the gunmen. He fired four shots at the gunmen and took two shots in the chest, which killed Brunelle instantly.
Using a powerful homemade bomb, the gunmen blasted open the heavy front door of the two-storey, Tudor-style home and embassy office. Once inside, they began rounding up hostages, including the wife of the Turkish ambassador, his teenage daughter and embassy staff members—at least 12 people. Ambassador Coşkun Kırca, a veteran career diplomat with United Nations experience, who had been in Canada less than two years, escaped by leaping from the second floor window at the back of the embassy, breaking his right arm, right leg and pelvis.
The police response was almost immediate. Within three minutes, officers were on the scene. Four hours later, the gunmen released all hostages and surrendered—they tossed out their weapons and came out of the building with their hands up, asking only that they not be shot by police. Earlier, in telephone conversations with reporters, they demanded, in exchange for releasing their hostages, that Turkey acknowledge the 1915 Armenian Genocide and return Armenian lands confiscated by Turkey. The gunmen, who said they were members of the Armenian Revolutionary Army told Ottawa police they blasted their way into the Turkish embassy "to make Turkey pay for the Armenian genocide" of 1915.
Indictment and trial
The attackers—Kevork Marachelian, 35, of LaSalle, Quebec; Rafi Panos Titizian, 27, of Scarborough, Ontario; and Ohannes Noubarian, 30, of Montreal—were charged with first-degree murder of security officer Claude Brunelle during the assault on the Turkish Embassy. They also faced charges of attacking the premises of a diplomat, endangering the life and liberty of Ambassador Coskun Kirca, setting off an explosion to get into the embassy and possessing grenades, handguns and shotguns.
Chahe Philippe Arslanian, a lawyer for two of the accused, said that his clients were not guilty: "It's evident that surely it was not a criminal act, but a political act," Arslanian told reporters. A year later, on 14 October 1986, the three men went on trial. An Ontario Supreme Court jury deliberated for 8.5 hours before finding Noubarian, Marachelian, and Titizian guilty of first-degree murder. Justice David Watt imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
After the jury gave its verdict and was dismissed, Noubarian told the court that what the three did "sprang from the national ideals we shared."
However, something undesirable and regrettable happened and Mr. Brunelle died, resulting in the clouding of our aims and our goals and also resulting in our persecution and trial as simple criminals. But imprisoning individuals would not harm the Armenian cause. Individuals are mortal, but the Armenian nation lives and as long as it lives it will always demand its rights.
In February 2005, the National Parole Board of Canada decided to allow one of the men, Marachelian, to visit his family for the first time in 20 years. The board granted him two visits over the following six months, during which he had to be accompanied by a corrections officer.
Marachelian and Noubarian were released from prison on 19 February 2010. Titizian was also released during April 2010 and sent to Armenia on the day of his release to join his family living in that country.
Consequences
The attack on the Turkish Embassy was a major international embarrassment for Canada. For years, foreign diplomats in Ottawa had asked the Canadian government for better security, but to no avail. Turkey declared Ottawa to be one of the most dangerous places in the world for Turkish diplomats. Canada needed a unit that was capable of defeating a determined and well-armed group of militants. This need was ignored until the 12 March 1985 attack on the embassy: the event changed the Canadian government's attitude toward militants and led to the creation of the RCMP Special Emergency Response Team.
Claude Brunelle was awarded the Star of Courage for delaying the assailants long enough to allow the Turkish Ambassador to escape.
References
- Deadly embassy attack in Ottawa CBC Archives. March 12, 1985. Accessed 2009-06-11. Archived 2009-06-15.
- ^ "Three charged with murder in siege." The Globe and Mail. March 13, 1985
- ^ Our 'Men in Black' (Part 1). The Ottawa Citizen. February 9, 2002 Saturday Edition, pg. B1 / Front
- ^ "Decorations for Bravery: M. Claude Gerard Brunelle, S.C." Governor General of Canada. 2009-04-30. Archived from the original on 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ Foreign Desk. March 13, 1985. "Turks’ Embassy in Ottawa Seized." The New York Times. Late City Final Edition. Section A; Page 3, Column 2.
- Hugh Pope, "Opinion: Turkey and Armenia Inch Forward: Over soccer, the two countries' leaders begin to work on the future instead of getting mired in the past." Los Angeles Times, September 16, 2008.
- World Notes Canada. Time Magazine. Monday, Mar. 25, 1985
- ^ 3 go on trial over slaying at embassy. The Globe and Mail (Canada). October 14, 1986. News; Pg. A18
- Raid 'political act': lawyer . The Globe and Mail (Canada). March 13, 1985
- "3 Armenians Convicted In Attack in Ottawa". The New York Times. Reuters. November 1, 1986. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "Spectators weep as 3 sentenced to life in Turkish Embassy slaying." The Globe and Mail. November 1, 1986. p. A13.
- Turkish diplomat survived 1985 embassy siege: Ambassador hurled himself out window during attack by Nick Petter. The Ottawa Citizen, Ontario, Canada. March 7, 2005 Final Edition
- Armenians who occupied Turkish embassy released in Canada Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine. News.az, February 14, 2010
- What Manner of Man by James Ogle, Darnell Bass, 2006. ISBN 1-897113-39-0, ISBN 978-1-897113-39-4. Pg 221
- Horn, Col. Bernd (2011). "Chapter 1: The Canadian Special Operations Forces' Legacy". In Spence, Dr. Emily (ed.). Special Operations Forces : A National Capability (PDF). Canadian Defence Academy Press. ISBN 9781100189345. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
 City of Ottawa | |
|---|---|
| History |
|
| Geography | |
| Culture | |
| Public services | |
| Education | |
| Government | |
| Transportation and infrastructure | |
| Features | |
- Terrorist incidents in North America in 1985
- Terrorist attacks attributed to Armenian militant groups
- Attacks on diplomatic missions of Turkey
- Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide
- 1985 in international relations
- History of Ottawa
- Canada–Turkey relations
- 1985 murders in Canada
- Attacks on diplomatic missions in Canada
- Crime in Ottawa
- Terrorist incidents in Canada in the 1980s
- 1980s in Ottawa
- 1985 in Ontario
- March 1985 events in Canada