For years, foreign diplomats in Ottawa had asked the Canadian government for better security, but to no avail. Turkey declared Ottawa to be one of the most dangerous places in the world for Turkish diplomats.[1] Canada needed a unit that was capable of defeating a determined and well-armed group of militants.[14] This need was ignored until the March 12, 1985, attack on the Turkish Embassy in Ottawa. The event changed the Canadian government's attitude toward militants and led to the creation of the RCMP Special Emergency Response Team.[15][2]