This is a list of notable hostage crises by date.
Incident
|
Location(s)
|
Start
|
Duration
|
Number of hostages
|
Kidnappings during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
|
Gaza envelope, Israel
|
7 October 2023
|
Ongoing
|
250+[1]
|
Nduga hostage crisis
|
Nduga Regency, Highland Papua, Indonesia
|
7 February 2023
|
1 year, 7 months and 2 weeks
|
9+[2]
|
Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis
|
Colleyville, Texas, United States
|
15 January 2022
|
10 hours, 41 minutes
|
4[3]
|
2020 Lutsk hostage crisis
|
Lutsk, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine
|
21 July 2020
|
12 hours, 21 minutes
|
13[4]
|
2020 Greenhills hostage crisis
|
San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
|
2 March 2020
|
9 hours
|
55[5]
|
Siege of Marawi
|
Marawi, Lanao del Sur, Philippines
|
23 May 2017
|
5 months
|
1,770+
|
2017 Hanoi hostage crisis
|
Hanoi, Vietnam
|
15 April 2017
|
10 days
|
38
|
2016 Yerevan hostage crisis
|
Yerevan, Armenia
|
17 July 2016
|
15 days
|
9
|
July 2016 Dhaka attack
|
Gulshan, Dhaka, Bangladesh
|
1 July 2016
|
11 hours, 10 minutes
|
35+[6]
|
Orlando nightclub shooting
|
Orlando, Florida, United States
|
12 June 2016
|
3 hours, 12 minutes
|
320
|
Kunduz-Takhar highway hostage crisis
|
Kunduz Province, Afghanistan
|
31 May 2016
|
Unclear end date
|
220+
|
2015 Bamako hotel attack
|
Bamako, Mali
|
20 November 2015
|
9 hours
|
170
|
November 2015 Paris attacks
|
Paris, France
|
13 November 2015
|
2 hours, 20 minutes
|
20[7]
|
Samal Island hostage crisis
|
Samal, Davao del Norte, Philippines
|
22 September 2015
|
13 months
|
|
Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege
|
Porte de Vincennes, Paris, France
|
9 January 2015
|
4 hours 30 minutes
|
19
|
2014 Peshawar school massacre
|
Army Public School Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan
|
15 December 2014
|
7 hours
|
1,099
|
Lindt Cafe siege
|
Martin Place, Sydney, Australia
|
15 December 2014
|
Approximately 17 hours
|
18[8]
|
2014 Moscow school shooting
|
Moscow, Russia
|
3 February 2014
|
Approximately 2 hours
|
29
|
Westgate shopping mall attack
|
Nairobi, Kenya
|
21 September 2013
|
3 days
|
|
Zamboanga City crisis
|
Zamboanga City, Philippines
|
9 September 2013
|
19 days
|
|
2013 Islamabad hostage crisis
|
Islamabad, Pakistan
|
15 August 2013
|
6 hours
|
|
2013 Hialeah shooting
|
Hialeah, Florida
|
26 July 2013
|
Approximately 3 hours
|
|
2013 Alabama bunker hostage crisis
|
Midland City, Alabama
|
29 January 2013
|
6 days
|
|
In Amenas hostage crisis
|
In Amenas, Algeria
|
16 January 2013
|
3 days
|
|
2012 Bain murder-kidnappings
|
Whiteville, Tennessee and Alpine, Mississippi, United States
|
27 April 2012
|
13 days
|
|
2011 Muar kindergarten hostage crisis
|
Muar, Johor, Malaysia
|
7 July 2011
|
6 hours
|
30
|
2011 Hectorville siege
|
Hectorville, South Australia, Australia
|
29 April 2011
|
8 hours
|
|
Panama City school board shootings
|
Panama City, Florida, United States
|
14 December 2010
|
Unknown
|
|
2010 Baghdad church massacre
|
Baghdad, Iraq
|
31 October 2010
|
About 4 hours
|
|
2010 Discovery headquarters hostage crisis
|
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
|
1 September 2010
|
About 5 hours
|
|
Manila hostage crisis
|
Manila, Philippines
|
23 August 2010
|
10 hours 30 mins
|
|
2010 Ahmadiyya mosques massacre
|
Lahore, Pakistan
|
28 May 2010
|
Some hours
|
|
October 2009 Lahore attacks
|
Lahore, Pakistan
|
15 October 2009
|
1 hour 30 mins
|
|
2009 Pakistan Army General Headquarters attack
|
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
|
10 October 2009
|
1 day
|
|
Binghamton shooting
|
Binghamton, New York, United States
|
3 April 2009
|
1 day
|
|
2009 Lahore police academy attack
|
Lahore, Pakistan
|
30 March 2009
|
Some hours
|
|
Bangladesh Rifles revolt
|
Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh
|
25 February 2009
|
2 days
|
|
2008 Mumbai attacks
|
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
|
26 November 2008
|
3 days
|
|
Eloá Pimentel hostage crisis
|
Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil
|
13 October 2008
|
4 days
|
|
Espírito Santo Bank of Campolide robbery
|
Lisbon, Portugal
|
7 August 2008
|
8 hours
|
|
South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan
|
Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
|
19 July 2007
|
42 days
|
|
Siege of Lal Masjid
|
Islamabad, Pakistan
|
3 July 2007
|
9 days
|
|
Johnson Space Center shooting
|
Houston, Texas, United States
|
20 April 2007
|
About 3 hours
|
|
West Nickel Mines School shooting
|
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
|
2 October 2006
|
Some hours
|
|
Platte Canyon High School hostage crisis
|
Bailey, Colorado, United States
|
27 September 2006
|
About 4 hours
|
|
Seattle Jewish Federation shooting
|
Seattle, Washington, United States
|
28 July 2006
|
Approximately 15 minutes
|
|
Chrobog family kidnapping
|
Yemen
|
28 December 2005
|
3 days
|
|
2005 raid on Nalchik
|
Nalchik, Russia
|
13 October 2005
|
Some hours
|
|
Ennepetal hostage taking
|
Ennepetal, Germany
|
12 April 2005
|
About 6 hours
|
|
Beslan school siege
|
Beslan, Russia
|
1 September 2004
|
3 days
|
|
2004 Khobar massacre
|
Khobar, Saudi Arabia
|
29 May 2004
|
25 hours
|
|
2003 Sahara hostage crisis
|
Algeria
|
22 January 2003
|
208 days
|
|
Moscow theater hostage crisis
|
Moscow, Russia
|
23 October 2002
|
2½ days
|
|
Akshardham Temple attack
|
Gandhinagar, India
|
24 September 2002
|
2 days
|
|
Dos Palmas kidnappings
|
Palawan, Philippines
|
27 May 2001
|
Varied periods
|
|
Operation Barras
|
Sierra Leone
|
10 October 2000
|
17 days
|
|
Bus 174 hostage crisis
|
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
|
12 June 2000
|
Some hours
|
|
Sauk Siege
|
Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia
|
5 June 2000
|
3 days
|
|
Wasserbillig crèche hostage crisis
|
Wasserbillig, Luxembourg
|
31 May 2000
|
28 hours
|
52 [9]
|
2000 Fijian coup d'état
|
Suva, Fiji
|
19 May 2000
|
56 days
|
|
2000 Sipadan kidnappings
|
Sipadan, Malaysia, Jolo, Philippines
|
23 April 2000
|
Varied periods
|
|
Joseph Palczynski standoff
|
Dundalk, Maryland
|
17 March 2000
|
4 days
|
|
Indian Airlines Flight 814
|
Amritsar, India, Dubai, UAE, Lahore, Pakistan, Kandahar, Afghanistan
|
24 December 1999
|
8 days
|
190
|
1998 Cúa hostage crisis
|
Cúa, Venezuela
|
5 April 1998
|
7 hours
|
|
Japanese embassy hostage crisis
|
Lima, Peru
|
17 December 1996
|
126 days
|
|
Terrazas del Ávila hostage crisis [es]
|
Caracas, Venezuela
|
15 April 1996
|
20 hours
|
|
1996 Honolulu hostage crisis
|
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
|
6 February 1996
|
7 hours
|
|
Black Sea hostage crisis
|
Trabzon, Turkey, Sochi, Russia
|
16 January 1996
|
4 days
|
|
Kizlyar–Pervomayskoye hostage crisis
|
Kizlyar and Pervomayskoye, Russia
|
9 January 1996
|
9 days
|
|
San Román Tragedy [es]
|
Caracas, Venezuela
|
23 June 1995
|
6 hours
|
|
1995 kidnapping of western tourists in Kashmir
|
Pahalgam, India
|
4 July 1995
|
Unknown
|
|
Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis
|
Budyonnovsk, Russia
|
14 June 1995
|
5 days
|
|
Air France Flight 8969
|
Algiers, Algeria, Marseille, France
|
24 December 1994
|
3 days
|
232
|
1994 kidnappings of western tourists in India
|
New Delhi, India
|
20 October 1994
|
12 days
|
4
|
Torp hostage crisis
|
Larvik and Sandefjord, Norway
|
28 August 1994
|
2 days
|
|
Gresham cat hostage taking incident
|
Gresham, Oregon, United States
|
21 August 1994
|
Unknown
|
1 cat
|
Salt Lake City Public Library hostage incident
|
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
|
7 March 1994
|
6 hours
|
|
1993 Jolimont Centre siege
|
Canberra, Australia
|
29 November 1993
|
2 hours
|
|
Neuilly kindergarten hostage crisis
|
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
|
13 May 1993
|
2 days
|
22
|
Supreme Court of Justice hostage crisis
|
San José, Costa Rica
|
26 April 1993
|
4 days
|
|
1993 Cangai siege
|
Cangai, New South Wales, Australia
|
30 March 1993
|
26 hours
|
|
East Carter High School shooting
|
Grayson, Kentucky, United States
|
18 January 1993
|
16 minutes
|
|
Lindhurst High School shooting
|
Olivehurst, California, United States
|
1 May 1992
|
8 hours
|
|
Alta View Hospital hostage incident
|
Sandy, Utah, United States
|
20 September 1991
|
18 hours
|
|
1991 Sacramento hostage crisis
|
Sacramento, California, United States
|
4 April 1991
|
About 8 hours
|
|
Singapore Airlines Flight 117
|
Singapore
|
26 March 1991
|
12 hours
|
125
|
Henry's Pub hostage incident
|
Berkeley, California, United States
|
28 September 1990
|
7 hours
|
33
|
1990 Hotel Delfino siege
|
Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Philippines
|
4 March 1990
|
Unknown
|
|
1989 Davao hostage crisis
|
Davao City, Philippines
|
13 August 1989
|
3 days
|
|
Camp Cawa-Cawa siege
|
Zamboanga City, Philippines
|
5 January 1989
|
12 hours
|
|
Loveland River House incident
|
Loveland, Colorado, United States
|
3 January 1989
|
2 hours
|
|
Papal visit hostage crisis
|
Maseru, Lesotho
|
13 September 1988
|
1 day
|
|
Gladbeck hostage crisis
|
Gladbeck, West Germany
|
16 August 1988
|
3 days
|
|
Ouvéa cave hostage taking
|
Ouvéa, New Caledonia
|
22 April 1988
|
14 days
|
|
Kuwait Airways Flight 422
|
Mashhad, Iran, Larnaca, Cyprus, Algiers, Algeria
|
5 April 1988
|
15 days
|
110
|
Pudu prison siege
|
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
|
17 October 1986
|
6 days
|
|
Pan Am Flight 73
|
Karachi, Pakistan
|
5 September 1986
|
1 day
|
379
|
Mikkeli hostage crisis
|
Helsinki and Mikkeli, Finland
|
8 August 1986
|
14 hours 10 mins
|
|
Oulu plane hijacking 1986
|
Oulu, Finland
|
20 May 1986
|
2 hours 45 mins
|
|
Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis
|
Cokeville, Wyoming, United States
|
16 May 1986
|
2½ hours
|
|
EgyptAir Flight 648
|
Luqa, Malta
|
23 November 1985
|
2 days
|
98
|
Palace of Justice siege
|
Bogotá, Colombia
|
6 November 1985
|
2 days
|
|
Achille Lauro hijacking
|
Alexandria and Port Said, Egypt
|
7 October 1985
|
2 days
|
97+
|
Trans World Airlines Flight 847
|
Beirut, Lebanon, Algiers, Algeria
|
14 June 1985
|
16 days
|
155
|
Bus 300 affair
|
Tel Aviv and Ashkelon, Israel
|
12 April 1984
|
2 days
|
|
1984 Libyan hostage incident
|
Tripoli, Libya
|
17 April 1984
|
9 months
|
|
1984 Sydney bank robbery
|
Sydney, Australia
|
31 January 1984
|
6 hours
|
|
Abduction of western tourists in Matabeleland
|
Lupane, Zimbabwe
|
23 July 1982
|
Unknown
|
|
Lebanon hostage crisis
|
Beirut, Lebanon
|
19 July 1982
|
Varied periods
|
|
Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 206
|
Bangkok, Thailand
|
28 March 1981
|
3 days
|
53
|
Iranian Embassy siege
|
London, United Kingdom
|
30 April 1980
|
6 days
|
|
Dominican embassy siege
|
Bogotá, Colombia
|
27 February 1980
|
61 days
|
|
Grand Mosque seizure
|
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
|
2 November 1979
|
14 days
|
50,000+
|
Iran hostage crisis
|
Tehran, Iran
|
4 November 1979
|
444 days
|
53
|
Mitsubishi Bank hostage incident
|
Osaka, Japan
|
26 January 1979
|
2 days
|
|
Finnair Flight 405
|
Amsterdam, Netherlands, Helsinki, Finland
|
30 September 1978
|
19 hours
|
|
1978 Dutch province hall hostage crisis
|
Assen, Netherlands
|
13 March 1978
|
1 day
|
|
Cyprus Airways hijacking
|
Larnaca, Cyprus
|
19 February 1978
|
1 day
|
|
Lufthansa Flight 181
|
Larnaca, Cyprus, Dubai, UAE, Aden, South Yemen, Mogadishu, Somalia
|
13 October 1977
|
5 days
|
|
Japan Air Lines Flight 472
|
Dhaka, Bangladesh, Kuwait City, Kuwait, Damascus, Syria
|
28 September 1977
|
5 days
|
|
1977 Dutch train hijacking
|
De Punt, Netherlands
|
23 May 1977
|
20 days
|
|
1977 Dutch school hostage crisis
|
Bovensmilde, Netherlands
|
23 May 1977
|
20 days
|
|
1977 Hanafi siege
|
Washington, D.C., United States
|
9 March 1977
|
39 hours
|
|
TWA Flight 355
|
Montreal and Gander, Canada, Keflavík, Iceland, Paris, France
|
10 September 1976
|
2 days
|
|
Operation Entebbe
|
Benghazi, Libya, Entebbe, Uganda
|
27 June 1976
|
8 days
|
258
|
Balcombe Street siege
|
London, United Kingdom
|
6 December 1975
|
5 days
|
|
OPEC siege
|
Vienna, Austria, Algiers, Algeria, Tripoli, Libya
|
21 December 1975
|
3 days
|
|
1975 Indonesian consulate hostage crisis
|
Amsterdam, Netherlands
|
4 December 1975
|
15 days
|
|
1975 Dutch train hostage crisis
|
Wijster, Netherlands
|
2 December 1975
|
12 days
|
|
Philippine Airlines Flight 111
|
Manila, Philippines
|
6 October 1975
|
1 hour
|
|
Spaghetti House siege
|
London, United Kingdom
|
28 September 1975
|
6 days
|
6[10]
|
1975 AIA building hostage crisis
|
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
|
5 August 1975
|
5 days
|
|
Israeli consulate hostage crisis[11]
|
Johannesburg, South Africa
|
29 April 1975
|
19 hours
|
|
West German Embassy siege in Stockholm
|
Stockholm, Sweden
|
24 April 1975
|
12 hours
|
|
1974 French Embassy attack in The Hague
|
The Hague, Netherlands
|
13 September 1974
|
4 days
|
|
1974 Huntsville Prison siege
|
Huntsville, Texas, United States
|
24 July 1974
|
11 days
|
|
Ma'alot massacre
|
Ma'alot, Israel
|
15 May 1974
|
2 days
|
|
Laju incident
|
Singapore
|
31 January 1974
|
8 days
|
|
Norrmalmstorg robbery
|
Stockholm, Sweden
|
23 August 1973
|
5 days
|
|
Roman Catholic mission hostage crisis
|
Centenary, Rhodesia
|
5 July 1973
|
Unknown
|
|
1973 CIBC bank robbery
|
Kenora, Ontario, Canada
|
10 May 1973
|
Unknown
|
|
Attack on the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum
|
Khartoum, Sudan
|
1 March 1973
|
2½ days
|
|
1973 Brooklyn hostage crisis
|
New York City, New York, United States
|
19 January 1973
|
3 days
|
|
Balassagyarmat hostage crisis [hu]
|
Balassagyarmat, Hungary
|
7 January 1973
|
6 days
|
|
Lufthansa Flight 615
|
Zagreb, Yugoslavia
|
29 October 1972
|
15 hours
|
|
Munich massacre
|
Munich, West Germany
|
5 September 1972
|
21 hours
|
|
Lod Airport massacre
|
Lod, Israel
|
30 May 1972
|
24 minutes
|
|
Sabena Flight 572
|
Lod, Israel
|
8 May 1972
|
1 day
|
|
Lufthansa Flight 649
|
Aden, South Yemen
|
22 February 1972
|
2 days
|
|
Asama-Sansō incident
|
Karuizawa, Japan
|
19 February 1972
|
9 days
|
|
Northwest Orient Flight 305 (D. B. Cooper)
|
Washington and Oregon, United States
|
24 November 1971
|
4 hours
|
|
October Crisis
|
Quebec, Canada
|
5 October 1970
|
60 days
|
|
Dawson's Field hijackings
|
Zarka, Jordan
|
6 September 1970
|
8 days
|
|
Marin County Civic Center attacks
|
San Rafael, California, United States
|
7 August 1970
|
2 hours
|
|
Operation Dragon Rouge
|
Stanleyville, Congo-Léopoldville
|
24 November 1964
|
20–30 days
|
|
Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 648 hijacking
|
Stanley, Falkland Islands
|
28 September 1966
|
2 days
|
|
Siege of Sidney Street
|
London, United Kingdom
|
2 January 1911
|
2 days
|
|
Battle of Ballingarry
|
Ballingarry, Ireland, United Kingdom
|
29 July 1848
|
1 day
|
|
Froberg mutiny
|
Fort Ricasoli, Malta
|
4 April 1807
|
6 days
|
|
References
|