First Response

LAMBETH CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMAND CENTRE (7.27 p.m.)

Kamran followed Gillard into the Gold Command suite. The chief superintendent picked up the phone. He was expecting to be talking to an assistant but it was the prime minister himself. ‘Well done, Chief Superintendent. A perfect resolution. It couldn’t have gone better.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ said Gillard.

‘Not a single shot fired, no one hurt, and the prisoners still in custody. Frankly, we’re in awe of you. You’ll have to come around when you’re done and talk us through it.’

‘Yes, sir,’ said Gillard. ‘I’ll gladly do that.’ He closed his eyes and exhaled, knowing that, as things stood, he had no idea how he would explain the events of the past ten hours, and certainly not the resolution.

‘Please pass on my thanks to the whole team there. It really was a job well done.’

‘I will, sir.’

‘They gave up, is that what happened? They realised we weren’t going to negotiate? Your strategy worked?’

‘It was a complicated situation, sir. I’m still trying to get my head around it.’

‘Well, I’ll tell you this, Chief Superintendent. You deserve a medal, and if I have my way, you’ll be getting one.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ said Gillard, but the line was already dead. He put down the phone. ‘What the hell happened, Mo?’ he said. ‘I’ll happily take the credit for a successful operation but we didn’t do anything. Shahid just walked away.’

‘Like Lynne said, it could have been a test.’

‘They want something bigger than getting us to release six ISIS prisoners? And if it was a terrorist act, what could be worse than nine bombs going off across the city?’

Kamran’s mobile rang and he took it out.

‘Is it him? Is it Shahid?’

Kamran shook his head. ‘Ian Adams, at the airport.’ He put the phone to his ear. ‘Yes, Ian.’

‘Sorry to bother you, sir, but I need to run a few things by you.’

‘No problem, Ian. Go ahead.’

‘I’m here with Kashif Talpur, the NCA guy. He confirms that they were under duress. According to him, he saw a vest explode and kill the man wearing it.’

‘Where was this?’

‘He doesn’t know. Sir, what do I do with him?’

‘Get him to GT Ops as quickly as possible. His governor can meet him here. Where are the men who were wearing the vests?’

‘The SAS have them under guard at the hangar. But if they were acting under duress, I’m not sure if we can do that, right?’

‘At the moment we’re not sure of anything,’ said Kamran. ‘What have you done so far?’

‘The ISIS prisoners are en route back to Belmarsh. I’ve removed everyone from the hangar, except for the Bomb Squad people and the men wearing the vests, though it’s now definite that all the vests are inert. The hostages are being looked after at the main terminal. There was a chain and a padlock at the back of each vest so they had to be cut off. All the men wearing the vests are telling the same story — they were forced into it. They’re claiming the vests could only be detonated by remote control and that they had been told if they didn’t follow their instructions they’d be killed.’

‘They all say that?’ asked Kamran.

‘All of them. The thing is, sir, do we arrest them? They claim that they were under duress. Can they be arrested? And what about the hostages? They’re asking to go home. I don’t see how we can continue to hold them against their will.’

‘So far as the hostages go, tell them we want to make sure that they’re physically and mentally well,’ said Kamran. ‘Take them to the nearest police station and get medics to give them the once-over. But keep them separate from each other. I don’t want them comparing stories. While you’re doing that, have them interviewed, but gently. Get them to tell us exactly what happened at each location. We’re also going to need their shoes and clothing for Forensics. And have them photographed straight away. That goes for the men in the vests, too. We need to show the state they were in after the siege ended in case that becomes an issue down the line.’

‘What if they insist on going home?’

‘Just be tactful. Explain that we need their help, and ask them to give a full statement. And tell them we have a right to take their clothing as it’s evidence. But if they absolutely insist and they have satisfactorily identified themselves, then, yes, take them home. But send officers with them and have the officers stay outside their houses. We’ll send investigating officers later. Oh, and don’t let them know that the vests were fake.’

Gillard was trying to catch Kamran’s eye, so he asked Adams to wait.

‘Everything okay?’ asked Gillard.

‘The undercover NCA guy confirms that they were all acting under duress,’ said Kamran. ‘I don’t have the details, but it sounds as if Shahid forced them to carry out the attacks.’

‘All of them? All nine?’

‘That’s what it sounds like. We should separate them and interview them individually, see if their stories match up.’

Gillard nodded. ‘We need to talk to Talpur ourselves.’

‘What about bringing all nine here to Lambeth? It’d make it easier to cross-reference their stories.’

‘Go for it,’ said Gillard.

‘I’ll get Sergeant Lumley to fix up the rooms. What about the interviews? Who’s going to do them?’

‘Let’s you and I do the prelims. I’ll draft in extra manpower from SO15.’