To the average person, the idea of kidnap and ransom is associated with the occasional high profile case, which makes the news headlines for a few days and then fades from memory. Or like the storyline of a blockbuster film that will entertain for an hour or two.


T


he reality, unfortunately, is


poles apart from these


misconceptions, with the global threat of being kidnapped increasing year on year. The business model of Kidnap and Ransom (K&R) is being copied and developed across the globe, just as any other successful business template would be.


Kidnap in itself is as old as the hills, with cases often found in the Greek and Roman Empires with prominent political movers and shakers of the day finding a loved one abducted and held in return for political favour or financial reward.


are a large number of kidnap cases now cropping up in Syria, mainly around the media. It is likely that in most of these cases, the victims were seen as a means to financial gain, a product to be taken and then sold on, perhaps several times. This is now becoming a model for even more kidnap cases in many areas, with local criminal gangs acting on behalf of known terror groups in a trading role, often with no political or religious affiliation to the end group. Both political and religious kidnappings have the potential to go on for several months or even years.


Financial kidnap – Local targets


Previously in some hostile areas, kidnapping was primarily politically motivated. This, however, is no longer the case, with many other factors, but mainly financial gain, being the main objective. This leads us on to the largest area of kidnap, financial gain. This can take many forms, but generally kidnappers target local businessmen and their families, who are perceived to be financially well off in the local region.


Often the ransom demand is relatively low as the kidnappers’ aim is to set a demand and


Express Kidnap


This brings us to the bottom end of financial kidnap, the Express Kidnap. This type is most definitely on the rise in many regions across most continents. The victim, who could be a businessman or student backpacker, will be tricked or abducted into a car, then taken around banks and ATMs and forced into withdrawing the maximum limits on all accounts, credit cards, travellers cheques etc. The kidnappers are only after a quick financial fix and are not normally geared up for a period of twenty-four hours or more. Once all cash and valuables have been extracted the victims are normally released, often unharmed. There are, however, many cases where the victim is not only robbed but also beaten, tortured and raped before being dumped naked at the roadside.


Express kidnaps occur mainly in towns and cities, as that’s where the banks are. They often start with picking the victim up at the arrival airport, but they can also be selected at hotel check-in or even followed into their private residence. These cases are normally only a one-day affair; however, there have been incidents where the victim is held for


Kidnap & Ransom –


The term to kidnap is a relatively new one, dating back to around the fourteenth century.


However, the act of kidnap goes back thousands of years, particularly when we focus on the abduction of slaves and brides in the ancient empires. Indeed this area of kidnap has prevailed to this day in one form or another.


To further understand the increased spread of kidnapping in recent times, we must look in more detail at the types of abductions and the people behind them.


Political kidnap


Political kidnaps are often high profile, such as the Aldo Moro abduction by the Red Brigade in Italy in 1978. These cases are normally aimed at governments to extort some form of political concession. This invariably makes them potentially the most dangerous for the victims, as the demands cannot always be met by the government bodies involved. There is often a cross over with political kidnapping and those cases of a religious root, such as the Terry Waite case in 1987.


Religious kidnap


Religious kidnaps, where the religion of the victim or the kidnappers is a main factor in the kidnap, will ultimately have some form of political demand, but will often have developed as a means of financial gain. There


2 © CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – AUTUMN 2013


receive payment in as short a period of time as possible. These types of cases have spread globally, mainly carried out by low key criminal gangs who want an easy target, who is perhaps rich (in local terms) but does not have the budget for a full protection team or other security measures. The criminal gangs would aim to turn these cases around within a very short period of time, from a few days to perhaps several weeks.


Financial kidnap – High net worth


The next level for financial kidnap is the targeted high net worth individual. Again carried out primarily by criminal gangs, but often of a more sophisticated nature. This type of kidnap will normally require a lot more reconnaissance and planning, so would possibly have a financial backer or investor. The gang would have profiled a potential victim for his perceived negotiated ransom payment from his family, employer or insurance cover. This type of targeted kidnapping for a high ransom is rare, mainly because of the costly nature of setting the abduction up and the fact that most high net worth individuals are now very security conscious, with close protection teams, armoured vehicles and very sophisticated security systems and procedures in place. Cases of this nature do not normally extend for a long period as the targeted victims are selected on their ability to pay the ransom demand within a short period of time.


several days to allow the kidnappers to extract the daily maximum cash withdrawal from all bank and credit cards.


Maritime kidnap


Maritime kidnap also falls into the financial gain sector of this business, with large ransom payments being levied at ship owners for the return of the ship, its cargo and the crew. The main leverage the kidnappers have is the fact they have the crew, as well as high net worth property that the ship owners will potentially lose large amounts on, if held for any length of time. The cases of maritime kidnap and ships being taken has been on the decline for the last year or more; however, the concept of maritime piracy has been copied and rebranded in many regions and will therefore be with us in one form or another for the foreseeable future. These cases can be over within a few days but are more likely to run for several months or more.


Tiger kidnap


Another form of kidnap that is on the rise is the Tiger kidnap. This entails the criminal gang targeting a victim to demand that their family or loved ones carry out a preplanned criminal activity for them.


This is the ransom payment, with the victim’s family charged with carrying out a robbery, murder or even planting a bomb. The criminal gangs will specifically target the victim to force the “key” to carry out the crime. These


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