I didn't either.
This article mentions the previous hostage takeover in the context of a recent chemical agent scare:
Last week's threat to B'nai B'rith came to an institution with unusually tight security. After the 1977 siege, when 12 Black Muslim extremists seized the B'nai B'rith building and two other buildings not affiliated with Jewish organizations, B'nai B'rith implemented strict security measures. Of the 134 hostages held in the 1977 attack, 107 were held in the B'nai B'rith building. That siege ended peacefully after 39 hours. . . . "In 1977, we were in an immediate life-threatening situation, with people holding guns to our heads and hitting people with rifle butts and their fists," Clearfield said. "This time we were at our desks, waiting and worrying." Although Jewish hostages were not singled out during the 1977 raid, anti-Semitic epithets were hurled frequently at the group.
This article mentions the takeover in a list of acts of Muslim terrorists against Americans:
March 9, 1977: Hanafi Muslims in Washington, DC, seized the District Building, the B'nai B'rith building, and the Islamic Center, in the process shooting Washington DC city councilman Marion Barry in the chest. The bullet barely missed Barry's heart, and gunfire delayed his transportation to a nearby hospital.
This is the most complete description I found of this hostage ordeal 25 years ago.
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