What to do in a Hijacking

Nowadays terrorists may strike almost anywhere, and there is a chance that you might be subjected to some form of terrorist attack. The events of September 11 2001 – terrible though they were- formed a highly successful terrorist plan. It woke the world up to the power of terrorism and the terrorists’ total disregard for innocent people.

Taking control of a vehicle to use as a weapon of destruction is not, strictly speaking, hijacking. Hijacking assumes that the terrorist have demands, and have chosen a passenger vehicle to use hostages as a tool of negotiation to either attain those demands or gain publicity for them. In a 9/11-style attack, you can do no better than the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, and try your best to overpower the terrorists.

World governments advocate that they will not give in to hijackers’ demands. This is not strictly true as many have paid ransoms to hijackers not least to the Somalia Pirates albeit the actual negotiations and handovers have been organised by the ship’s insurance companies using marine security organisations as regularly documented in the Marine Security Review.

In any event, hijacked passengers and crews do undergo long periods of high stress often resulting in eventual release, but occasionally death. Obviously, survival in these situations is a very tuff challenge, but not impossible. In all survival situations the basic rules are the same, and you will benefit from knowledge, confidence, physical condition, a sense of humour and the will to survive. The usual survival priorities of protection, location, water and food still apply. Your best personal approach is to adopt as low a profile as possible – Protection, be constantly aware of your surroundings – Location, keep yourself hydrated, by drinking water, not alcohol – Water, and eat whenever it is possible – Food.

Blend In.

When hijacked, it is vital to assess the hijackers at the outset, and ascertain their potential to carry out their task, their political and religious beliefs, their aims, even the actual group they belong to. Generally, you will be told some of these things early on. If your political, religious beliefs or nationality do not conflict with the hijackers’, your chances of surviving are slightly higher than those of someone to whom this does not apply. If someone is executed to prove a point, the hijackers are more likely to pick someone they dislike. If you are unlucky enough to simply be from the wrong place, avoid attracting attention, become the grey-person the person that no-one really notices.

Extremes.

Despite all your efforts, hijackers may become violent towards you. At this stage, there is very little you can do. If you are absolutely sure you can overpower the terrorist – or you are certain that they are about to take your life – then fight. Otherwise, resistance will only make the situation worse, so do your best to take it. Show pain naturally, when it hurts: showing pain too early can make the aggressor impatient and more violent; trying to show how ‘tough’ you are will just get you beaten to death.

Gaining the respect of your captors through arrogant resistance only happens in movies. If you decide to risk game playing, try to build a relationship; if you can get a good rapport, it often leads to survival. If not, of course, you are liable to become the first victim.

Your bearing will affect the way you are treated. Some people have a ‘military style’ about them; they walk very upright, with an air of authority. Avoid this at all costs, as the terrorists, who will be used to the police and military, will assume you are a soldier or undercover operator and quickly eliminate you. On the other hand, slouching and looking unconcerned will mark you out as an arrogant troublemaker. Being aware of your body language and adjusting it accordingly is a very important skill that you should think about and practice before you need it in a real life emergency.

Communicating.

Communication, or the lack of it, is a difficult area. Your non-verbal communication will begin the process. It is hard to get the balance right; showing hate is as provocative as showing compassion in some situations. Try to look attentive, obedient. Inevitably, any communication will single you out and defeat the object of keeping a low profile.

If you have to communicate avoid deep eye-to-eye contact, but do not avoid eye contact altogether, as this is antagonistic. Blatantly looking away from your aggressor is as much an act of defiance as staring.

Rescue.

The decision to use military force to effect a rescue is only ever made after all other efforts have failed, when the lives of the hostages are seriously at risk. The country you are in may not have a properly trained, professional, competent, ant-terrorist force. Specialists may have to be brought in for support and advice as the crisis unfolds. Information gathered by the authorities needs to be correlated and assessed and this takes time.

Even an experienced anti-terrorist team has its limitations. The aircraft may have been flown through restricted airspace, and the observers’ surveillance craft not allowed to follow, although it will still be tracked. If the plane is flying from place to place, then the team may monitor its fuel consumption and plan an assault when the plane has to refuel at the next stop. Available refuelling facilities can be identified in advance and an assault planned.

Release.

As a goodwill gesture, hijackers often release some hostages. If you are so lucky, the authorities will need to interview you as soon as possible to get a better idea of the threat. Whilst still a hostage, make mental notes of events and descriptions of the terrorists, it will help if you can use known images as identity markers for example: look-a-likes, he looks like John Lennon etc. Take note of the weapons in use and the armed terrorist locations. If you are not released early, your chances of being involved in some form of armed conflict will have increased. Most assaults begin with stun grenades; these cause a shock wave that affects the balance and co-ordination. Do not run, there is likely to be a hail of bullets and a lot of confusion moments after the assault begins, so standing up exposes you, and the rescuers have enough to do without you popping up and down. The best option is to drop to the floor with your hands outstretched showing that you are unarmed and not in a position to trigger an explosion. If possible stay in this position until you are ordered to move- hopefully by a friendly force. If you have to move because of fire or other hazard stay low, and if possible, evacuate the aircraft. Once outside, stay down and get clear of the aircraft if you can, remember to keep your empty hands in full view, do not carry anything. If you are not sure where to go, lie down and stay in position until you are told to move.

Survivor’s Guilt.

If you survive a hijacking, you may have stood by whilst others were executed, even possibly because you kept a low profile. This can bring intense – but inappropriate – guilt. You have survived an encounter with people who have no scruples about killing, and you are not ever responsible for the actions of others.

Hostage Survival

Hostage Survival.
By
Kenn Griffiths.


Being kidnapped and kept as a hostage is a terrorist act that has been used the world over and continues to be used in an effort to get the authorities to succumb to the kidnapper’s demands. The problem is the authorities will not meet the demands. To do so would show weakness and prove to the terrorists that kidnapping works. Contrary to popular belief negotiations do go on and hostage negotiators work alongside the intelligence services to try to bring a peaceful solution without giving in to the demands. At the same time Special Forces seek and find teams are deployed to track down the whereabouts of the hostages and prepare for a rescue attempt.

Hostage situations vary and anyone one of us could be taken at any time. If it’s you, the fact that you have not been killed in the first place suggests that the kidnappers have some reason to keep you alive, for the time being at least. This fact is the key to your early survival. Because they have a reason to keep you alive they will hesitate before taking your life. From the second you are aware of your kidnap you should be looking for a way to escape. The longer you are held captive, the more difficult it is to escape. In the first moments of capture you will probably be in an area where there is an element of normality, so if you can effect your escape at this early stage the chances are that you can find salvation and help locally, however, once you are taken away from the area you will probably not know where you are or who you can trust if you do escape.

Once the kidnappers have detained you it is normal practice for them to restrain you by tying you up and gagging you. Even when this has been done there is the chance of a quick escape. The way you do this is to present parts of your body to be bound in such a way that the binding can be loosened afterwards. Present your hands in front of your body by keeping the heels of your hands together and slightly cupping them. At the same time keep your hands close to your body with your elbows pushed out. This action causes your wrists to part. Binding you in this position allows you to straighten your arms later, which will push your wrists together, loosening the bindings. Flattening your hands, palm to palm will further loosen them until you can wriggle free. If a mouth gag is being used push your chin on your chest and puff your cheeks out. If it is at all possible, keep your teeth tightly closed. These positions will again allow you to loosen your bindings when you draw your chin, open your teeth and stretch your neck to its full extent. If your hands are being tied behind your back present them thumb to thumb with your palms facing outwards and your arms slightly bent. Once again try to ensure that there is a good gap between your wrists. Turning your hands palm to palm and drawing them up your back will loosen the binding and allow you to slip out. Having loosened your bindings you may be in a position to surprise your captors by escaping from them when they are complacent. Running out of a building into a street full of local people will bring immediate attention to your problem. It would be unlikely that your kidnappers would dare to re-take you in full view of the general public.

If you have not had a chance to escape in the very early stages of your captivity the chances are that you will be moved from the initial kidnap site in the back of a vehicle, quite often this will be a car. If you have a mouth gag you will probably be made to lie in the well between the front and rear seats and covered over so that you cannot be seen. If you are not gagged you may be sat in the rear of the vehicle with a guard. In both cases think about escaping by loosening your bindings and quickly opening the door and jumping out as the vehicle moving. Clearly you would be foolish to attempt this if the vehicle is travelling at speed. But, in the middle of a city or town, the chances are that the vehicle will often have to slow down to compensate for other road users. An ideal time to jump is when the vehicle is pulling away from a set of traffic lights. Force the door open and throw yourself out of the near-side, making sure you don’t throw yourself under a passing vehicle. You will certainly suffer cuts and bruises but this will be much better than the problems you will encounter from becoming a hostage. Once the vehicle has left the city etc. it will probably be travelling at great speed and in areas where there are few people. If you miss the early opportunity to escape then the chances are that you will have to wait a very long time before you can spot another window of opportunity.

Surviving until the window of opportunity presents itself or you are released will be your priority. In the early stages hostages are often very confused and obviously have trouble coming to terms with their predicament. They are bewildered and feel exceptionally vulnerable. They obviously mistrust their captors and, in group hostage situations there are periods when there is a mistrust of ones self and colleagues. Keeping the mind positively active is a very important part of hostage survival. To allow the mind to dwell on negative thoughts will inevitable sap the will to survive. Never let the mind relax, keep it positively active. This is best accomplished by having a personal project. This may be building an imaginary lavish garden, a luxury home, a rocket, in fact anything that is productive. This doesn’t mean just thinking about the building etc. It means planning every minor detail, the materials needed, the human resources, the actual building of it, brick by brick, plant by plant. In the hostage situation the one thing that the captors cannot take away from you are your thoughts, the inner you. You must keep this part of you totally in your control at all times.

In isolation, with minimum human contact there is a feeling of hopelessness that you have to overcome. The only emotional support for you, is you! Living without affection of any kind can eat away at you and it is this that you must always guard against. Political hostages are often forced to make public statements, admitting to a crime against the state or its people, or denouncing a country, its people and/or its politics. Not agreeing with the views of your captors and not wanting to make any statements is in some ways accepted and so the isolation, tiredness and uncertainty are used to wear you down to a stage where you will say and do almost anything. The captors will try everything to domineer. But to completely domineer they have to break you. A way of accomplishing this is to threaten to take your life. Having the courage to accept that they may well kill you and being able to live with that thought without fear takes away the most powerful lever the captors have to force you to conform, to do as they say. Quite often when hostages get to this stage and have come to terms with the possibility of their death they have turned the tables on their captors. It can become a battle of wills. The captor determined to break the hostage, to rule not just the body but the mind as well. The hostage, accepting that there is little he can do to stop the punishments on his body, but resisting every attempt to capture his mind. In these situations the captor losses if he takes the hostage’s life. The result is that the captor will continue to try to break the hostage, making sure he does not die for fear of failure.

The chances are that you will be held in a building. Probably not far from a busy street or near to someone who can help you? You must constantly review the best action to take to survive your ordeal. You have to be sure that to escape is in your best interests. It may be the case that you are being held in quite decent surroundings and being treated properly. This may be because there are negotiations going on to secure your release. There certainly will be some action being taken to help you from outside agencies but only you can decide whether or not your life is at risk and that escape is a realistic possibility.

Having decided that your survival will depend on your escaping you should prepare and plan your escape if that is possible. If not you will have to play the waiting game until the opportunity arises. Your route out of the building may well include having to drop from a window, low roof or wall. Being able to drop and land properly will lessen the risk of re-capture due to injury. When faced with a high drop, look for the softest place to land, if you can try to cushion your fall with clothing, bedding etc. Where you can, ease yourself over the edge of the drop, making sure you are facing the building, keep one hand holding on until your arm is fully stretched. Look down and pick a safe spot to land. Whilst still holding on, place your free hand on the wall and push away from the as you let go. The push should be enough to keep you clear from hitting the building during the descent. It should also spin you a little so that you face away from the building. Keep looking at the spot you intend to land on. Keep you ankles and knees pressed together and your legs slightly bent at the knees. Push your chin onto your chest and keep your teeth together. Pull both of your hands up to the side of your head. Position yourself to land with the balls of the feet landing first. Do not land heels first. As soon as your feet hit the ground, force your knees to the side. This move combined with the forward force of your body will turn you in such a way that you will roll onto the floor, thereby spreading the impact. By doing this your body will gradually take the force of the landing and greatly reduce the chance of injury. Once you are safely on the ground make good your escape.
Tips to avoid becoming a hostage.
• Be aware that you could be a target and avoid bringing undue attention to yourself.
• If you are in a foreign country dress down and avoid any conflict or debate, especially on the subjects of politics, religion and race.
• Do not drive around alone, especially in a local hire car or a car showing foreign license plates.
• Only use approved Taxicabs.
• When you are on foot face oncoming traffic. This will lessen the risk of a car full of kidnappers coming up from behind you without you knowing, and taking you from behind.
• Change your daily routines regularly to make it difficult for anyone to plan your kidnapping.