‘AT 1147 hours on the Saturday, Ali Afrooz pleaded with the police to take the terrorists' threats to kill someone seriously. Trevor Lock then read out a prepared statement, in which he stated that the police's delaying tactics were causing great tension.
At 1530 hours, BBC boss Tony Crabb spoke with Sim Harris about broadcasting the terrorists' statement to the world. Harris was visibly frightened, and impatient with the lack of co-operation from the authorities. Didn't they realize his life was in danger? Salim, who was holding a gun on Harris, became visibly angry, so Tony Crabb agreed to make a broadcast as soon as possible. Salim relaxed, so Crabb asked whether he was prepared to make a goodwill gesture by releasing some hostages. Salim said he would.
By 1900 hours there was still nothing broadcast on the radio, so Salim sent Trevor Lock and Mustapha to the window to ask why. The police said that they would only allow the transmission to go ahead once two hostages had been released, and not before. On hearing this Salim lost his temper and declared that he was going to kill a hostage, but Mustapha managed to calm him down and persuaded him to release one of the captives, pointing out that if this got him his broadcast then that would be a considerable achievement. Mrs. Haydeh Kanji, another pregnant hostage, was released.
Subsequently it became clear that Salim was truly at the end of his tether, and not in the mood for further compromise. 'Either there is a broadcast, or a hostage will be shot,' he proclaimed.