The Arms Drop

In December 1995, a large amount of weapons was secretly dropped from a plane over West Bengal, India. The plane carried British arms dealer and MI5-informant Peter Bleach and Danish development worker and idealist Niels Holck, the mission’s mastermind. The weapons were allegedly intended for the self-defense of a group of monks and nuns against the Communist Left Front governing West Bengal at the time. Bleach’s mission was to secure the plane into India so Holck could be arrested. But when Holck escaped, Bleach took the fall. While trying to defend himself, he discovered that British intelligence wanted to keep him locked up as well, and he served eight years on trumped-up charges in an Indian jail. Meanwhile, Holck has built a new, peaceful life for himself in Denmark, but in 2010 he is suddenly facing the prospect of extradition. Now Bleach faces a dilemma: should he let Holck endure the same fate he did, or forgive his former adversary and help shed light on the case? Thanks to its use of editing and music, often feels like a tense thriller as it follows both men in their search for truth and justice. What role did the British secret service MI5 and the British, Danish and Indian governments play in the affair?