THERE was the Iranian Embassy siege. There were the planes flying into the Twin Towers. Then yesterday there was the siege of North Kensington — all dramatic events unfolding in front of the live cameras of rolling news television.

Broadcasters got so close to the action in Dalgarno Gardens yesterday that police eventually had to move them away and demand that they turn off the cameras in case they became part of the story and influenced the outcome of a highly sensitive operation.

One of the viewers, after all, could have been the suspect himself. Anyone who tuned into the Sky News channel could not have failed to be gripped by an important story in the making, with live dialogue and sound effects.

Television stations were contacted at 11.38am by the Metropolitan Police, requesting that they observe a media blackout during the armed operation that was taking place. A BBC spokesman said: “It is a standard protocol when police are engaged in a live operation such as a kidnap rescue.”

But broadcasters continued gathering pictures and at 12.40pm the police lifted the blackout. Within minutes viewers were thrust into a world of controlled explosions, paper overalls and armed officers.

The voice of a male police officer could clearly be heard calling the name “Mohammad” repeatedly. He could also be heard shouting to the man inside the flat: “You must do as we say,” and “Why can’t you come out?” and “You’ll be safe”.

Officers were shown donning body armour and gas masks from the backs of police vans, almost outnumbered by the satellite television lorries.

Lisa Davis, a witness much closer to the action than even the cameras, kept up a running commentary on her mobile telephone. “They keep saying to him, ‘Is there a reason that you shouldn’t leave the flat?’ They have been saying this to him for about half an hour.”

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