A series of raids in response to Vietnamese Buddhists ' protests for civil rights in the face of religious persecution from the government of the Roman Catholic President Ngô Đình Diệm . Squads of Special Forces , led by Lê Quang Tung and combat police flattened the gates and smashed their way into the pagoda at around 00:20 on 21 August 1963 , as Xá Lợi 's brass gong was clanged as a warning signal of the attack . Nhu 's men were armed with pistols , submachine guns , carbines , shotguns , grenades and tear gas . The Special Forces were joined by truckloads of combat police in army camouflage uniforms . Monks and nuns who barricaded themselves behind wooden shields were attacked with rifle butts and bayonets . The gong of the pagoda was drowned out by the burst of automatic weapons fire , the sound of exploding grenades , shattering glass and human screaming . One monk was thrown from the balcony down to the courtyard six meters below . Nhu 's men vandalized the main altar and managed to confiscate the intact charred heart of Thích Quảng Đức , the monk who had self-immolated in protest against the policies of the regime . Two monks jumped the back wall of the pagoda into the grounds of the adjoining US Aid Mission , where they were granted asylum
series of raids
Xá Lợi Pagoda raids
Xá Lợi Pagoda