 After the assault concluded , the police conducted an investigation into the siege and the deaths of the two hostages and five terrorists , including the actions of the SAS . The soldiers ' weapons were taken away for examination and , the following day , the soldiers themselves were interviewed at length by the police at the regiment 's base in Hereford . There was controversy over the deaths of two terrorists in the telex room , where the male hostages were held . Hostages later said in interviews that they had persuaded their captors to surrender and television footage appeared to show them throwing weapons out of the window and holding a white flag . The two SAS soldiers who killed the men both stated at the inquest into the terrorists ' deaths that they believed the men had been reaching for weapons before they were shot . The inquest jury reached the verdict that the soldiers ' actions were justifiable homicide ( later known as " lawful killing " ) . 
