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When a surrounded terrorist or criminal tries to hold off the authorities by force, it is considered a " Barricaded suspect" situation. When a person/s holds others against their will, but keeps them hidden, it is simple Kidnapping . A hostage crisis develops when the kidnapper barricades himself along with his prisoners, threatening to kill them if they are provoked or attacked.

Typically, the Hostage -taker issues demands to the forces keeping him surrounded. In a planned hostage crisis, there is often a list of political or religious demands, often including the release of imprisoned friends or allies. In cases where the hostage situation was improvised as a desperate attempt to avoid capture, the demands usually revolve around exchanging the lives of the hostages for transport to safety.

For a list of hostage crisis events, see the List Of Hostage Crises .

Journalists often prefer to use the term " Siege " to describe these incidents. However, events like the Waco Siege are not necessarily hostage crises, because third parties are not being held or threatened.


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