NCJ Number
63618
Journal
EXECUTIVE RISK ASSESSMENT Volume: 1 Issue: 6 Dated: (APRIL 1979) Pages: 1-4
Date Published
1979
Length
4 pages
Annotation
ABDUCTIONS INVOLVING RANSOM DEMANDS OF A MILLION DOLLARS OR MORE HAVE INCREASED SINCE 1972 AND USUALLY INVOLVE CORPORATE EXECUTIVES OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.
Abstract
A LIST OF KIDNAPPINGS SUMMARIZED BY DATE, COUNTRY, BUSINESS POSITION OF THE HOSTAGE, AND RANSOM DEMAND ILLUSTRATES THE SEIZURES SINCE 1972 IN WHICH A MILLION OR MORE DOLLARS HAS BEEN DEMANDED. OF THE 59 OPERATIONS SUMMARIZED, 33 TOOK PLACE BETWEEN JANUARY 1976 AND THE END OF JANUARY 1979. RANSOMS PAID TODAY TO SECURE THE RELEASE OF KIDNAP VICTIMS ARE A PRIMARY SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR TERRORIST GROUPS. MOST GOVERNMENTS REFUSE TO RANSOM ABDUCTED PERSONNEL, THEREFORE TERRORISTS HAVE TURNED TO KIDNAPPING EXECUTIVES AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. ALTHOUGH BUSINESS IS THE PRIME TARGET, THE MAJOR AREA FOR SUCH TERRORISM IS LATIN AMERICA. ARGENTINA AND EL SALVADOR HAVE BEEN HIGH RISK AREAS IN LATIN AMERICA, WHILE ITALY HAS BEEN HIGH RISK IN EUROPE. A COUNTRY-BY-COUNTRY TALLY FOR BOTH REGIONS IS SUMMARIZED IN A CHART, WHICH ALSO SHOWS THAT THE TIME PERIODS AND TARGETS FOR KIDNAPPINGS WERE VERY DIFFERENT. IN EL SALVADOR MOST OF THE EXECUTIVES TAKEN WERE FOREIGN NATIONALS, BUT IN ITALY THE VICTIMS WERE CITIZENS OF ITALY. TABLES ARE INCLUDED. (RFC)