How to behave if you are kidnapped and become a hostage of terrorists

Recommendations from employees of the Special Purpose Center of the FSB of Russia, expressed at a meeting with schoolchildren and teaching staff of the Retro school of the Eastern Administrative District of Moscow on October 15, 2004.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ARE HOSTAGED?

Unfortunately, none of us are protected from a situation where we could be taken hostage by terrorists. At the moment, detailed recommendations and requirements for how to behave if you find yourself hostage have not yet been developed. But general recommendations can be given. If you find yourself hostage, you need to pay attention to the following points:

WHEN CAPTURED:

As the development of events during the hostage-taking in “Nord-Ost” and Beslan showed, only at this moment is there a real opportunity to escape from the scene. This probably mainly applies to adults who can soberly assess the situation around them. If there is no terrorist nearby and there is no possibility of defeat, you cannot simply stand still. If there is such an opportunity, it is necessary to run away from the place of the intended capture.

IF YOU ARE CAPTURED:

You need to be prepared for the fact that no one will immediately free you. You need to psychologically prepare yourself for a long stay next to terrorists. At the same time, you need to firmly know that in the end you will definitely be freed. It must also be remembered that for special forces officers, the life of the hostages comes first, and not their own lives . When you are close to terrorists, it is necessary to establish a common psychological contact with them. You don't necessarily need to talk to them. But under no circumstances should you shout, express your indignation, or cry loudly, because very often terrorists are under the influence of drugs and are generally very excited. Therefore, crying and screaming have an extremely negative effect on them and cause unnecessary aggression in them. You need to prepare yourself for the fact that for quite a long time you will be deprived of food, water and possibly movement. Therefore, you need to save energy. If there is little air in the room, you need to move less in order to use oxygen more economically. If you are prohibited from moving around the building, you need to do simple physical exercises. Just strain the muscles of your arms, legs, back - that is, you need to force yourself to move. In addition, you need to force your brain to work so as not to withdraw into yourself and lose psychological control. Remember the contents of books, solve mathematical problems, if anyone knows prayers, they can pray. At the same time, you need to know for sure that negotiations are underway with terrorists and, in the end, you will definitely be released .

DURING THE STORM:

If you realize that an assault has begun, you need to take a position away from windows and doorways (during shelling, fragments of glass and building structures can cause additional injuries). You also need to stay away from terrorists, because during the assault our snipers will work on them. No personal bravado needed. Most people do not have special training, so you do not need to grab a weapon so as not to be confused with terrorists. If you hear the pops of exploding flash-noise grenades, when the bright light hits your eyes, the sound hits your ears, or you smell a strong smell of smoke, you just need to fall to the floor, close your eyes, do not rub them under any circumstances, cover your head with your hands and wait until the special units take you out of the building.

OUR SPECIFIC WISHES:

If you find yourself hostage, try to record all the events that accompany the capture. Remember what the terrorists talk about among themselves, what they look like, who their leader is, what their plans are, what their distribution of roles is. This information will be very important for us in the future. Often terrorists are trying to escape, so they dress up as hostages in an attempt to save their lives.

QUESTIONS ASKED BY CHILDREN TO STAFF OF THE TsSN FSB RUSSIA:

Can Personal Protective Equipment Help? You should not use gas canisters, stun guns and other means, because these are very big and evil people against whom a child will not be able to resist. What about an adult? Anyone who is not specially prepared will also not be able to provide worthy resistance. If a bomb is hung on a person, what signs should be given? There are no specially installed signs, but in any case, if there is a bomb on you, if you are handcuffed, you need to make it clear to the special services officers without panic, with your voice or movement of your hand. When planning special operations, we monitor places of detention. Therefore, if you regularly repeat “I’m wearing a bomb, I’m wearing a bomb...”, then those who need it will hear it. What to do if a terrorist, trying to save his life, puts a gun to your head? There is only one thing, fulfill the terrorist’s demands and wait for you to be released. Your main goal is to save your own life. What to do if a gas bomb hits a room where hostages and terrorists are located? Fall to the floor. If there is any damp cloth, cover your face with it to make breathing easier. If there is no water, then use your own urine. What to do if you find yourself under a rubble? If suddenly an unauthorized explosion occurs and you find yourself buried, you need to determine a free place to which you could move. If possible, if you have fragments of a table or desk at hand, try to strengthen what is above you. And wait. There is no need to try to get out from under the rubble on your own. As a general rule, debris removal is done from top to bottom. Every hour there is a minute of silence. When various mechanisms stop working, you need to shout loudly and declare yourself. What to do after release? You definitely need to identify yourself. Contact the special services officers who carried out the release operation. They will help you transfer the information you have for its intended purpose and subsequently undergo a course of medical rehabilitation. (People who are taken hostage experience the consequences of post-traumatic syndrome. The help of specialists for such people is simply necessary).

Physical condition assessment

The rules of conduct for hostages require first of all to assess the physical parameters of the enemy - height, weight, physique, the presence of special training.

Such preparation can be assessed by the stance of the criminal.

A boxer is characterized by an open stance with involuntarily clenched fists. Sometimes he taps the fist of one hand on the palm of the other. There are noticeable marks of fractures on the bridge of the nose.

The wrestler lowers his shoulders a little, keeping his palms open, as if for a grip. He places his feet shoulder-width apart. There are changes on the ears from injuries after seizures.

A karateka often stands with his body half turned, clenching his fists tightly.

All people with special sports training have developed muscles.

It is important to remember such physical characteristics of a person not only because of the risk of attack, but also for subsequent identification of the criminal by the police. For this, it is also important to take into account his manner of speaking, vocabulary, voice, and external features. These include the shape of the face, nose, ears, cheekbones, lips, eyebrows and eyes, hair color, the presence of tattoos and scars.

What should you expect from a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs?

Hostage-taking is often carried out under the influence of alcohol and drugs. These are dangerous conditions, since they are characterized by a decrease in the criticality of perception of reality and an increased degree of human arousal. Weak and moderate degrees of alcohol intoxication are dangerous, since a person becomes aggressive and active, while in a state of severe intoxication he becomes lethargic and sleepy, and the coordination of his movements is impaired.

Under the influence of drugs, it is not always easy to externally determine changes in a person. But his behavior is similar to a state of euphoria. He begins to talk a lot and quickly and laughs often.

Drugs reduce sensitivity to pain. But often periods of activity under their influence are quickly replaced by periods of apathy and depression. Drug addicts pose a danger precisely during periods of activity, since at this time they may have outbursts of anger.

Airplane hijacking

There are certain rules of conduct in case of hostage taking. Let's look at them:

The main thing is to get rid of the panic attack. Any exclamation, crying, cry for help, or hysteria will be regarded by the bandits as disobedience. And all because they themselves are in a nervous state. If possible, reassure your neighbor.
Try not to stand out from the crowd, do not irritate or contradict the invaders.
Don't make noise or cough or sneeze loudly.
If you need to go to the toilet, ask permission.
If the invaders demand personal belongings, give them back.
Do not defend crew members.
Don't complain about airplane pilots.
If children are crying nearby, do not get irritated, remain silent and control yourself.
If one of the passengers managed to leave the plane, do not draw the attention of other people to this fact.

The rules of conduct in the event of being taken hostage are, in principle, the same everywhere. The main thing is to remain calm. Only then will a person be able to think rationally and make informed and deliberate decisions. Remember, because of reckless actions, other people may also suffer. Let's look at a few more general rules for safe behavior when taken hostage.

Main taboos

So, you are captured, and the situation remains tense. The pattern of your behavior is already approximately clear. But do not forget that the actions of the hostages can aggravate the situation. Let's look at what is not recommended to do:

To be a hero. You have no skills, no weapons, and are outnumbered by casualties. Calm down your ardor. Imagine that your actions may cause your loved ones and other people to suffer.
Contradict the terrorists. At best, you will get away with bruises and abrasions, at worst, you will not be able to see the end of the conflict.
Do not attempt to use a stun gun or pepper spray. Often terrorists are healthy men to whom it is useless to resist.
Trying to take away the weapon. Even if you somehow manage to neutralize the terrorist, you will cause a chain reaction. Other militants will come running to hear the shots or open fire at random, and the special services can “out of turn” begin a liberation operation. Whether you will survive is a big question.

How not to lose self-control?

Most likely, the hostages will be prohibited from moving around the building, and they will need to do some exercises so as not to irritate the terrorists: strain and relax the muscles of the arms, legs and back.

The most important thing is that you need to force your brain to work so as not to lose psychological control over yourself, that is, self-control. You need to retell books or poems you have read to yourself, solve complex mathematical problems, or repeat a prayer to yourself. And think less about what is happening.

A little about the psychology of a hostage

Finding yourself in such a situation, a person at first cannot believe it, because everything looks like a bad dream. But, despite this, it is necessary to accept the fact and strictly adhere to the rules of conduct for hostages.

Keep your sanity. Many hostages may have a protest reaction to injustice. And then he starts running. This absolutely cannot be done unless there is a 100% guarantee of release. The criminal can shoot, and with the murder of a person, his guilt before the law increases, he feels doomed, as a result of which he becomes even more embittered.

Remember: the bandit will shoot, even if a simple act of capture was planned for the purpose of blackmail and demands that their conditions be fulfilled. It is necessary to train the will, improve oneself, exercise the mind, learn self-control, so that in an emergency it is easier to control oneself and cope with a difficult task.

If a terrorist is opposite me, should I initiate a conversation or is it better to remain silent?

It's better to sit silently, but if he asks a question, it's better to answer. This is called the communication process. Because your silence to his question will anger and excite him. But it is possible to establish non-verbal contact. What does it mean? At one time, when Arab terrorists hijacked a plane, one man looked up at the terrorist with such a pitiful gaze that he was struck. This doesn't mean it will work every time, but non-verbal communication is very important. So that the terrorist understands that he is on top, that people are ready to listen to him, but they are not afraid of him.

If the terrorist likes the person's answer, he may also put him in charge of the group. Then communication will go through this person, he himself will calm the group so that terrorists do not interfere there. This is not betrayal, it means that the person took control of the group, he took responsibility for the lives of people.

If an explosive device is found

Your actions are as follows:

Don't go near him, don't touch him.
Report to law enforcement immediately.
Remember! The use of any means of radio communication, for example, a mobile phone, can trigger the radio fuse.
Wait for law enforcement officials, but at a safe distance from the explosive device, and then show it.

Under no circumstances should you panic.

If you are in long-term confinement

The rules of conduct during hostage taking will be as follows:

Eliminate feelings of pity, resentment and confusion. Prepare yourself mentally for the upcoming trials.
Drive away despair.
Do not lose faith in salvation, remember that over time the chances of liberation increase.
If conditions allow, make a schedule of classes, devote a day to intellectual pursuits, read, and another day to physical exercise.
Do not refuse the food offered, even if it is tasteless, eat with force so as not to weaken.
If you are injured, the main thing is to bandage the wound and stop the bleeding, and help others.

Don't make the main mistake - you will never become a friend to an action movie. You should not take his side, show any signs of sympathy, firstly, this will become a treacherous act towards other hostages, and secondly, this will subsequently lead to mental trauma and personality disintegration.