This month, let’s take a look at Kidnap for Extortion. It’s surprisingly common, and always complex. The victims don’t have to be wealthy, and frequently aren’t, but they can quickly find themselves in the middle of international politics or disagreements. The impact on their reputation as a result of the media spotlight is lifelong.
What is Kidnap for Extortion?
A person or group of people are abducted, or detained against their will by criminals or a state security department. The abductors demands are usually political, legal, ideological or commercial.
Let’s look first at the criminal extortion example.
In the criminal case, the demand might be made to the family of the victim, or the company for which the victim works. The demand could be for information like intellectual property. It might even be to delete or remove information about the kidnappers. In the murkier world of organised crime or drug trafficking, the demand could be a threat to cease and desist in competitive criminal businesses. In other credible scenarios, it might be to give up a profitable drug territory, or even to secure the release of a hostage that the other side of the negotiating party has already taken. It may sound extraordinary, but in most of these cases the extortion is a business transaction. That probably means that the life of the victim won’t be forfeited, though of course, we are talking about criminals here.
Kidnap for Extortion – Scenario One:
An organised crime gang abducts the child of a competing crime boss. The demand is that the competition leaves a particular territory so that the other gang can move in. A business transaction is agreed and the child may be released.
What about Kidnap for Ideology.
Kidnap for ideological purposes is sometimes a form of extortion. There are times of course, where the fundamentalist terrorist motivation is purely the shock and horror of doing awful things on TV. Are they really intent on satisfying their demands before they do the disgusting things that they do?
Then, there are times when they do genuinely kidnap for extortion. They seize a celebrity or powerful individual and demand changes to the laws of their country, or the implementation of their agenda in another country. That is ultimately extortion.
Sadly, the opportunity for a positive outcome for the victims is considerably lower in these cases. Perhaps the most likely chance of a successful release comes at the hand of a Tier 1 security team, with the political will to unleash them. Again, the odds of a positive outcome for the hostages are very low still at that point.
Kidnap for Extortion – Scenario Two:
A radical fundamentalist group captured a bus load of American tourists and demanded the release of their brethren from jails in the USA. The US government refused to offer such terms, and the kidnap situation continued for years.
With no end in sight, the hostages were traded upwards to an unfriendly nation. Eventually, the demands were changed to what that unfriendly nation wanted, rather than the original prisoner release. Some sanctions were quietly lifted and finally the hostages arrived home. It was deemed to be a success for the political leaders on both sides, though for different reasons. It made a big splash in the news.
Kidnap for Political Purposes, and Illegal Detention.
In the political space, an individual may be seized by a hostile foreign government in a situation that is sometimes called an unlawful or illegal detention. There are several different scenarios for this which we will explore below. Commonly though, what might be perceived as an illegal detention can usually be overcome by the hostile state by fabricating evidence and creating charges of espionage.
Cases of extortion by one country to another are far more complex than a simple ransom demand, though that is not to say that in some cases a financial benefit is the ultimate purpose. Perhaps the detention of that particular national is all part of a longer-term plan to have sanctions reduced. Perhaps it’s part of a mutual release package. You release my political prisoners, and I release some of yours.
Ultimately in the case of illegal detention either something financially or politically valuable needs to change hands. Oddly, it becomes a business transaction yet again. The question is, will the other party be willing to give up the leverage, or other pressure that they have for the hostage?
That might depend on who the hostage is, and what it is that is wanted. Think, release of political prisoners, radical changes in government policies, unlocking seized funds or unblocking technological sanctions.
In extremis, these scenarios can also end up in a military response if the demands are completely unacceptable, though that is hard to do if the hostage is well hidden or secured.
Kidnap for Extortion – Scenario Three:
A European couple were driving around the world, in a 4×4, fulfilling their retirement ambition. To help with funding, they were vlogging their journey as they went. Part of their journey required them to briefly drive through a country known to be hostile to the country where they came from. That home country pro-actively told its nationals not to visit the hostile country on its travel advice website. The couple were arrested on charges of espionage after posting a video to their blog. Unknown to them, in the background of the video was a restricted military site. The home country lost vital political leverage and wasted extraordinary resources on the detained couple. Ultimately as part of their release after many years, a number of sanctions were unwound.
What are the consequences of Kidnap for Extortion for an individual?
In some cases, it’s hard to fathom why some people put themselves into harm’s way and travel to countries which are so ‘unfriendly’. Is it arrogance, immaturity, naivety, or stupidity? A social media ‘wannabee’ who visits North Korea, or Russia, or Yemen, or Iran, there are plenty more, really is risking their life. In some exceptional circumstances, people who have lived peacefully in a country for many years find themselves at odds with a regime change. Usually there are plenty of warnings or cues to leave though before someone is arrested in those circumstances.
Some of the possible impacts:
- Death, torture, serious injury: Some victims literally disappear. Forever. Some, if they are lucky, are released after a few years with nothing more than malnutrition.
- Mental Health Impacts: Detention can have severe negative impacts on mental health, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. These impacts are particularly acute when detention is prolonged, isolated or occurs after previous trauma.
- Loss of Liberty: Unlawful detention is a violation of fundamental human rights, The victim loses connections with family and friends. Over a long period of time, some of those family members may die. The victim is unlikely to receive any compensation from the country which held them.
- Financial Difficulties: Being detained or imprisoned can lead to financial difficulties and other detrimental consequences. Individuals who are detained for a long period of time will lose their job, and their pay check. That means their family lose income, the mortgage can’t be paid, and the house is repossessed. No income means no pension savings for the years that you are incarcerated. That leads to lower standards of living later in life.
- Personal Reputation: If you are the person that is held by a hostile foreign state for many years, you are going to be all over the media, for all the wrong reasons. That is going to be with you for the rest of your life. If you were there foolishly, there is no getting away from that. Ever.
How do you avoid being Kidnapped for Extortion?
There are a number of things you can do to avoid becoming a victim of kidnap for extortion.
- Needless to say, don’t pursue criminal business activities that make you an attractive target to competing organised crime gangs!
- Do not travel to countries that are deemed unfriendly to your own nation. If you really have to go, then consult with your diplomatic contacts. Ensure you have a comprehensive security mitigation plan in place.
- Do not risk breaking laws by taking photos or pursuing behaviours contrary to the laws of that state.
- Follow your country’s travel advice, and don’t think that the situation will be different for you.
- If travelling, don’t visit parts of that country which are known to be high risk for kidnap. Do your research well before hand and understand the threat.
This article has been written using my own knowledge and research. I do not use AI to write my content. I do sometimes use AI to develop the images that accompany my articles. Do please like, comment or follow me on LinkedIn for my regular monthly Newsletter.
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