Crime
Regional
Incidents of maritime crime in Asia increased by six percent from 2023 to 2024, marking the highest number of incidents in five years. This trend has extended into 2025, with 11 incidents reported in January, three times the number reported in January 2024, with the majority concentrated in the Singapore Strait. In most cases, the purpose of the attack has been theft, particularly targeting engine parts and spares. While most incidents are non-violent robberies, attackers are increasingly carrying firearms and knives, raising concerns for crew safety in the region.
Kidnap for Ransom
The Philippines
On 25 February, police rescued a Chinese teenager kidnapped in Parañaque City in Metro Manila. A Chinese-led criminal gang had abducted the victim from a vehicle while he was returning from school on 20 February, and killed his driver. The perpetrators initially demanded a ransom of USD 20 million, although this was later reduced to USD 1 million. They also severed the tip of the victim’s finger as a tactic to pressure the family. On 25 February, police launched a rescue operation based on intelligence from the kidnappers’ cell phone activity. As officers pursued the perpetrators’ vehicle on the busy Macapagal Avenue, the kidnappers released the victim and fled the scene. No ransom had been paid. Such kidnappings are common in the Philippines, and are typically perpetrated by criminal gangs also involved in other organised crimes like gambling and money laundering syndicates.
Wrongful Detention
Iran
In February 2025, reports emerged that a UK couple had been arrested by Iranian authorities in the city of Kerman the previous month, whilst on a cross-country motorcycle trip. The couple have been charged with espionage, accused of using tourism as a guise for gathering intelligence. Iran has long used detention as a means of political leverage against its international adversaries, particularly Europe and the US. These arrests come amid rising geopolitical tensions between Iran and the US, particularly with the latter expanding economic sanctions aimed at disrupting Iran’s path towards nuclear weaponisation.
Wrongful Detention
Tunisia
On 5 February, a court sentenced opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi and 40 other prominent political figures, journalists, and businesspeople, to lengthy prison sentences on charges of “plotting against state security.” Tunisian authorities have depicted the sentencing as a victory against corruption, while opposition leaders have labelled the charges as politically motivated, and have questioned the impartiality of the judiciary. In July 2021, President Kais Saied initiated a constitutional coup in which he suspended the democratically elected government, created a new constitution, and cracked down on freedom of speech. Saied has since made significant efforts to consolidate power and clamp down on political dissent, and further arrests are likely in the coming months.
Crime
Haiti
On 21 January, gang members opened fire on Indian consulate vehicles in Port-au-Prince, killing one official and injuring four others. Gangs have recently expanded their targets to include foreign diplomats, and the fatal shooting of an Indian diplomat highlights the level of indiscriminate violence and challenges facing foreign officials working in the country. In a separate incident, the Viv Ansanm gang, an alliance of some of Haiti’s most powerful criminal groups, launched an offensive in Kenscoff commune with the aim of expanding its foothold in Port-au-Prince. This affluent neighbourhood, home to much of the country’s elite, had previously remained largely untouched by gang violence. Around 40 people were killed in the attack. As the country’s police force and the Kenyan-led UN backed task force struggle to weaken Haiti’s powerful gangs, further attacks are likely over the coming weeks and months.
Active Assailant
United States
On 18 February, police arrested two teenage girls over a plot to conduct a mass casualty attack at Memorial High School in Houston, Texas, with pipe bombs and guns. The students had shared the plot on social media, and officials indicated it contained sufficient detail to be deemed credible. Although both suspects attended different schools in the area, one of them was a former student at Memorial High School. The targeted school has implemented additional security measures after the threat, and an investigation is ongoing. No motive for the planned attack has been identified. School shootings are a recurring problem in the US. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 330 school shootings in 2024, down from 349 in 2023 – the highest on record.
Wrongful Detention
Azerbaijan
In February 2025, police detained two journalists in Baku on money smuggling charges amid the government’s ongoing crackdown on independent media. On 20 February, police arrested journalist Nurlan Gahramanli in Baku and later raided his home in Sumgait, Absheron-Khizi. Fatima Mövlamli was detained in similar circumstances in the capital, with police later confiscating her mobile phones and USD 2,100. Both are freelance journalists for Meydan TV, Azerbaijan’s largest independent media outlet, which the government has repeatedly accused of bringing in funds from Western donors. With 24 Meydan TV journalists already in detention, further arrests of media workers associated with the organisation are likely.
Kidnapping
South Africa
On 10 March, police arrested four suspects in Kensington, Johannesburg, in connection with the kidnapping of an Ethiopian businessman in Norwood earlier in the month. Two of the suspects had been sanctioned by the US for links to the Islamic State – one as an alleged facilitator and trainer, while the other was reportedly part of an IS cell in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province. The group faces kidnapping charges and police have also linked them to extortion activities in the area. While Islamist extremist attacks are rare in South Africa, groups like IS and Al Qaeda have previously used the country to raise funds through illicit activities, including kidnapping for ransom and extortion.
Active Assailant
Germany
On 3 March, a 40-year-old German national drove into a crowd at a carnival market in central Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, killing two people and injuring 25 others. Police apprehended the attacker at the scene, shortly after he attempted suicide using a gun loaded with blank rounds, resulting in self-inflicted injuries. The motive remains unclear; however, authorities have noted that the suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed, had a history of mental illness and previous convictions for right-wing hate speech and drunk driving. Vehicle-ramming attacks have become increasingly common in Germany, where strict regulations limit access to firearms and knives.
