Armed hostage takings , particularly those planned ( e.g. , by a terrorist group ) for political purposes , could be considered suicide missions . As most governments have a policy of refusing to negotiate with terrorists , such incidents usually end with a bloody confrontation between the hostage takers and an armed force ( e.g. , police or military ) attempting to free the hostages . In addition , such hostage takings often occur in a country foreign to the perpetrators , thereby limiting their chances of escape . Notable examples include the 1972 Munich massacre , the 1977 Landshut Hijacking , the 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege , the 1996 Japanese embassy hostage crisis , and the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis . All of these high-profile hostage takings ended with the hostage takers being engaged by the military forces of the country in which the incident occurred , with the vast majority of the hostage takers being killed in the aftermath . The extent to which the hostage takers in each incident expected to survive or simply desired to capitalize on their publicity to send a message is a matter of speculation
Japanese embassy hostage crisis
Japanese embassy hostage crisis
Suicide mission