Among those captured were individuals from diverse backgrounds, including embassy personnel, tourists, a BBC team, and a British police officer.
In the chaos during the embassy takeover, the separatists committed a grave mistake.
They were unaware that PC Trevor Lock had managed to keep his firearm concealed beneath his jumper, secured in a holster.
For six tense days, Lock patiently waited, surrounded by insurgents armed with automatic rifles and grenades.
Throughout the ordeal, one of the captors constantly held a finger on the pin of a grenade.
Two days into the standoff, the militant leader, Towfiq Ibrahim al-Rashidi, became suspicious upon hearing a mysterious scratching noise from the walls.
Lock told him it was probably mice.
In truth, listening devices were being drilled into the walls from the Ethiopian embassy next door.
Becoming aware their subterfuge efforts might be exposed, the British government instructed Heathrow Airport to direct incoming planes to fly low over the embassy.
Then, six days into the siege, the SAS pounced.
Several dozen SAS soldiers stormed the building.
As a stun grenade was dropped through the skylight, abseiling soldiers smashed through the windows.
An alert al-Rashidi was about to shoot an SAS soldier.
It was at that moment that Lock leapt forward and tackled him, saving the soldier’s life. It was only at that moment that Lock drew his firearm.
As this was going on, television crews were broadcasting the end of the siege from outside the embassy.
But the hair-raising live footage was not broadcast on ITV, which opted to continue airing Coronation Street at the time.
In the episode, Gail and Brian faced a serious cash problem. This was not to be interrupted, ITV determined.
It would later be reported that the decision to keep the soap opera on air may have saved lives.
While the lead-up to the SAS operation was being aired on the BBC, the television in the embassy was set to Coronation Street instead.
Had they not been watching the soap, the militants would have been forewarned of what was about to happen.
Five of the hostage-takers were killed when the embassy was stormed.
The sixth was sentenced to life in prison.
