Details emerged of an SAS soldier being accidentally shot during a training exercise that was being held at GCHQ in January.
The elite soldier was admitted to hospital as a result of his injuries which are not thought to be life-changing.
The exercise was supposed to have been carried out using blank rounds which simulate the noise of gunfire but without firing any bullets.
An enquiry into the incident was started by the police but has now been handed over to the Health & Safety Executive.
The SAS used the building in order to train in a ‘regular’ office environment.
The fact that everyone working inside GCHQ would have been vetted means that the special forces can carry out these sort of operations in large buildings without having to worry about their personal security being compromised.
Two opposing teams were sent into the building for the mock operation.
The first team ‘invaded’ the base and took hostages whilst the second team worked to rescue the ‘kidnapped’ staff.
The operation saw 50 GCHQ volunteers drafted into the exercise in order to act as regular office staff.
However, one operator inadvertently fired a live round at his colleagues.
The soldier was shot in the arm and is said to be recovering from the incident.
The exercise was carried out purely to simulate an attack on a normal office environment and was not done to prepare for any sort of specific threat.
An ‘insider’ from the special forces told The Times:
“It’s military dark humour but it was shrugged off in a way.
“It’s one of those things that very occasionally, unfortunately happens.”
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