The Spaghetti House Siege occurred on September 28, 1975, at the Spaghetti House restaurant in Knightsbridge, London. Franklin Davies, a Nigerian, led two other gunmen into an armed robbery of the Spaghetti House, where managers of the chain had assembled to pay in the week's takings of approximately £13,000.
Unfortunately for the robbers, the heist did not go to plan. Nine Italian staff members were taken hostage and moved to the basement, during which time one escaped and raised the alarm which led to the six-day long siege.
The Metropolitan Police Service surrounded the restaurant and cordoned off the area. The gunmen, claiming to represent the Black Liberation Army, a Black Panther splinter group, demanded safe passage and an aircraft out of the country to Jamaica. Due to this being a sensitive issue Sir Robert Mark, the then Commissioner, consulted with the Home Office and refused.
Psychiatrist Dr Peter Scott gave advice about the mental state of the criminals. Radio reporters demoralised the robbers with the insistence their demands would never be met, and the Daily Mail suppressed a scoop at the commissioner's request, concerning the police arrest of a believed confederate of Davies. The police also ensured Davies received a false message that his alleged confederate was selling information to the newspapers.
At the end, the demoralised robbers and their capitves emerged unharmed. According to Manwaring-White (1983) this was an early use of fibre optic technology as a live surveillance technique.
A number of works were produced based on the siege, including books, documentaries, and at least one film.
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