The
FBI Hostage Rescue Team (
HRT) is the
counter-terrorism and hostage rescue unit of the US
Federal Bureau of Investigation. The HRT is trained to rescue American citizens and allies who are held hostage by hostile forces, usually
terrorists and/or criminals. The Hostage Rescue Team was founded in 1982 by
Danny Coulson, former Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI, and completed its final certification exercise in October 1983.