(Photo courtesy of the D.C. Council)

One of the most tragic and bizarre incidents in D.C. history began 40 years ago tomorrow. Two people were killed, and Marion Barry nearly died, when a group of radical black Muslims took 150 people hostage for two days.

The D.C. Council is commemorating the Hanafi Siege by hosting a discussion with people who were part of the 1977 events: Arrington Dixon, the Ward 4 councilmember at the time and one of the hostages; Maurice Cullinane, then the Metropolitan Police Department chief; and Earl Silbert and Mark Tuohey, who served as United States Attorney and Assistant U.S. Attorney, respectively. Longtime local journalist Pat Collins will moderate.

A photo exhibit will also be on display outside the Council Chamber where most of the events occurred, with many of the images placed in the exact location they were taken.

The siege was preceded by the brutal murder of seven people (five of whom were children) four years earlier. Gunmen affiliated with the Nation of Islam stormed the Hanafi Muslim Center, which had split from the group, and killed members of leader Hamaas Abdul Khaalis’ family (he was at the supermarket at the time). Seven people were convicted.

When Khaalis and 11 other gunmen took over the B’nai B’rith headquarters, the Islamic Center of Washington, and the D.C. City Council in 1977, one of their demands was the release of those responsible for the murders into their custody. They also demanded the destruction of the movie “Mohammad, Messenger of God.”

“We have told this government to get busy and get the murderers that came into our house on Jan. 18 [1973] and murdered our babies. And our children. And shot up our women,” Khaalis told The Post amid the siege, according to a WETA account of the events. “ell them the payday is here. We gonna pull the cover off of them. No more games.”

In the ensuing siege—which eventually ended thanks to interventions from the ambassadors from Egypt, Pakistan, and Iran—24-year-old WHUR reporter Maurice Williams and security guard Mack Cantrell were both killed, and a bullet narrowly missed Marion Barry’s heart.

“It’s been a long time, but some things you never forget,” Barry told the Washington Post ahead of the 30th anniversary of the siege. “And that’s one of them.”

The discussion will take place at the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW; use the D Street entrance) at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber. It is free and open to the public.