Below are the latest articles on Kidnap, Ransom & Extortion events from around the globe.

• 2 Americans Kidnapped in Egypt - "Two American tourists have been kidnapped in the southern part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, a security official said Friday. They were abducted by unknown Bedouins, said Gen. Mohamed Naguib, head of security in the region. The kidnappers "want certain detainees released and retried," said Gen. Marwan Mustapha, spokesman for the Egyptian Interior Ministry." - From CNN.com - 2/3/2012
• American Kidnapped in Somalia –“Gunmen kidnapped an American man in the northern Somali town of Galkayo on Saturday, officials said…. the kidnapped man is an American engineer who came to Somalia to carry out an evaluation for building a deep water port in the town of Hobyo.” From News24 – 01/22/2012
• Kidnappings Point to Security Breakdown in Southern Philippines  – “A 53-year-old Australian man, held captive for a month by people suspected of being Islamic extremists and pleading for his life in a newly released video, has been described as the latest indicator of an increasingly desperate security situation in the southern Philippines.” From New York Times – 1/5/2012
• Kidnap! Tales from the new India – “The Subcontinent's economy is booming and swelling the ranks of an aspirational middle class, but for those seeking a short cut to prosperity, kidnapping for ransom is the growth industry of choice. Children are most vulnerable: around 60,000 are abducted in India every year, and Delhi, the capital, is the criminals' favourite hunting ground.” From GQ – 1/4/2012
• 49 Kidnappings Per Day Occurred in Mexico in 2011 – “An average of 49 kidnappings per day occurred in Mexico in 2011, marking a significant increase from the prior year, the Council for Law and Human Rights, or CLDH, said. A total of 17,889 kidnappings occurred in Mexico last year, up 32 percent from the 13,505 abductions registered in 2010, the non-governmental organization said,…..the figures do not include ‘express kidnappings’..” From Latin American Herald Tribune – 1/2/2012
• Gunmen Kidnap 2 European Aid Workers in Kenya – "Somali gunmen struck again inside Kenya, abducting two European aid workers on Thursday afternoon from a sprawling refugee camp on the Kenya-Somalia border, officials said.  It is the fourth time in the past five weeks that heavily armed kidnappers believed to be from Somalia have successfully infiltrated Kenya…… [T]he motive was most likely money and that in previous kidnappings the assailants had asked for a ransom."  From The New York Times – 10/13/2011
• Philippines kidnap victim is freed after 12 weeks – “A Filipino-American woman has been freed after 12 weeks in captivity in the southern Philippines but suspected Muslim militants are still holding her 14-year-old son and a relative, authorities have said…. Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants snatched the three on 12 July while they were on holidays with their relatives on an island near southern Zamboanga city. In a 17 July phone call to the captives' relatives in Virginia that was traced to Basilan, the hostage-takers demanded a huge ransom, according to Philippine officials.” From The Guardian – 10/03/2011