Envoy Details Harrowing Run-In in Zimbabwe

June 5, 2008 — -- The American diplomatic convoy sped down the road, with Zimbabwean police in hot pursuit. A police car tried to ram the speeding vehicle off the road, but the driver was able to maintain control.

Finally a police roadblock brought the chase to an end — but the ordeal would last almost six hours more.

A mob surrounded the car, beat the driver and threatened to burn alive the diplomats inside.

U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee detailed the harrowing events to ABC News in a phone interview today from the capital, Harare.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the incident "outrageous."

As dangerous as the situation was, McGee acknowledges it could have turned out much worse.

"I had some very, very cool people out there in the field," he said. "This is a lawless country."

Five diplomats from the U.S. Embassy, including the defense attaché and the top security officer, along with others from the British Embassy and three local staff, were held by a mob of plainclothes Zimbabwean military and police officers, as well as members of the feared "war veterans" group who have harassed the political opposition in recent months.

The ordeal began when the convoy traveled to a town north of Harare and investigated recent reports of political violence. "We're trying to establish, for ourselves, how serious this is," McGee said.

On the way back, they were stopped by police who demanded that they come to the police station. The defense attaché, who led the convoy, consulted with the embassy by cell phone and was told to leave the scene, which he did.

"They drove maybe 25 kilometers and all of a sudden this group of police came up behind them at high speed and tried to force them off the road," McGee said. "My people were fortunately able to maintain control of their vehicle and about 10 kilometers further on a roadblock had been established by the Zimbabwean police. They had the accordion spikes in the road, and my people were forced to stop there."