Why did the SAS fake gas leaks in central London?
“Thinking is the ultimate human resource.”
Problem-solving is a skill. A learnable one. And sometimes the key is to think differently, not harder. Just ask the SAS.
In April 1980, six armed terrorists stormed the Iranian Embassy in London and took 26 people hostage.
After six tense days of failed negotiations and the murder of a hostage, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher gave the green light for military action. The SAS were ordered in.
What followed was a now-legendary rescue mission.
Explosions shattered the embassy windows. A second team abseiled from the roof and stormed the rooms. The entire operation took just 17 minutes. All but one of the terrorists were killed. All but one of the hostages made it out alive.
The raid may have been fast, but the planning took days.
To prepare, the SAS moved into a nearby building to rehearse every move. They needed eyes inside the embassy. The plan? Drill holes and insert cameras to monitor the terrorists in real time.
But drilling through walls carries one very obvious risk: noise.
Any suspicious sound could have put the hostages in even greater danger. They needed a creative solution. Something unexpected.
So they flipped the problem on its head.
Instead of trying to make the drills quieter, they made everything else louder.
Flight paths were rerouted so planes roared directly overhead. And to add to the cover, the team faked gas leaks around the embassy, bringing in loud pneumatic drills that masked the sound of their covert work.
It was a masterclass in lateral thinking. Change the environment instead of the action.
So the next time you are stuck on a problem, take a step back. Try flipping it around. Ask a better question. Challenge the obvious.
You might be surprised by what comes to mind.
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