FORCE FACTS Minimum physical standards for HRT training are 12 pull-ups 60 sit-ups 50 pushups swimming 200 meters in 7 min utes and running 2 miles 3 2 km in less than 15 minutes Students train at the FBI Academy campus located south of Washington D C
s M A E T T A W S E U C S E R E G A T S O H I B F 8 INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION In 1980 Cuban president Fidel Castro allowed more than 100,000 of his people to come to the United States in a mass emigration event known as the Mariel Boatlift Several thousand were dangerous criminals whom Castro wanted to get rid of Many committed crimes in the U S and were imprisoned Threatened with deportation to Cuba in 1991 dozens of those Marielitos housed in the Federal Correctional Facility in Talladega Alabama seized control of part of the prison and took 10 hostages F B I H O S T A G E R E S C U E S W A T T E A M s 9 The Hostage Rescue Team HRT of the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI quickly responded as did other federal forces During an uneasy truce that lasted for more than a week little progress was made in resolving the situation At that point authorities be came convinced the hostages were in danger of being killed HRT was ordered to retake the facility The operation began in the early morning darkness when HRT members blew open several doors Rushing inside they flung stun grenades to momentarily blind their tar gets The grenades also generated a shock wave that knocked down anyone in the area Moments later the assault team threw stingers which unleashed dozens of painful rubber pellets and fog-causing devices that also emitted a skin-irritating chemical It was loud confused and smoky said one team member It seemed like we caught them completely by surprise There were no attempts to fight back From start to finish the operation took just three minutes The hostages were unharmed and the only casu alty was a slightly wounded prisoner ZzZ Communist leader Fidel Castro strictly regulated who could enter and exit Cuba
