kidnapping
Nigeria
On 6 July, suspected kidnappers abducted Abdulgafar Alabelewe and Abdulraheem Aodu, two local journalists from the Danhono 2 neighbourhood in Kaduna City, Kaduna State. The kidnappers specifically targeted the journalists, opening fire outside their housing compounds and forcing their way into the properties before abducting the victims and some of their family members. Police operations to rescue the victims are ongoing, and it is unclear if ransom demands have been made. Journalists are frequently kidnapped in Nigeria and face an elevated threat in kidnapping hotspots such as Kaduna State. Additionally, Nigerian security services often abduct journalists, raising concerns over deteriorating press freedom in the country.
kidnapping
South Africa
On 7 July, unidentified assailants kidnapped two people while they were driving through Crystal Park in Benoni, Gauteng Province. Shortly afterwards, the kidnappers began making unspecified ransom demands. On 8 July, police traced the victims to an informal settlement in Crystal Park. During the ensuing shootout, one kidnapper was killed, and four others were arrested while the victims were rescued unharmed. Kidnappings for ransom have consistently increased in South Africa over the past five years. The most recent police statistics show an 8 percent rise in such incidents in the final quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
crime
Japan
On 6 May, three masked teenagers broke into a luxury watch store in Tokyo in broad daylight, threatened the staff with a knife, and stole more than 100 watches. The teenagers were found to have been recruited online, as part of a new crime trend known as ‘tokuryū.’ Tokuryū are non-hierarchical groups of individuals – often youths – with no prior connections, no criminal histories, banded together for the purpose of committing crimes. According to official statistics, more than 10,000 tokuryū members were arrested in Japan between 2021 and 2023, for crimes ranging from scams, robberies and drug trafficking to assault and murder.
kidnap for ransom
Philippines
On 24 June, unidentified assailants kidnapped and killed two foreign nationals, including one Chinese citizen, despite a reported ransom payment of approximately USD 412,000. Both victims were employed by Chinese medical equipment companies and were visiting the Philippines on business. The victims’ bodies were recovered in Camarines Sur Province eight days after their abduction, and a police investigation is ongoing. The Chinese embassy in Manila issued a warning to Chinese nationals in the Philippines, urging vigilance and increased security precautions against potential kidnappers.
Crime
Turkey
On 11 April, police seized 608 kg of cocaine in an anti-drug operation that spanned the three provinces of Kocaeli, Tekirdağ and Antalya, marking the third largest drug bust in the country’s history. An October 2023 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime showed a 44 percent increase in cocaine seizures from 2021 to 2022, which has not been reflected in a corresponding increase in local consumption of the drug. These developments signal that Turkey is increasingly being used as a transit point for the cocaine trade between South America and Europe, and it remains to be seen if the recent clampdown on organised crime, led by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, will be effective.
Organised Crime
Europe
On 12 June, upon the final arrests of four people in Spain, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) dismantled a large-scale cocaine trafficking network in the region. Based in Dubai and Turkey, the networks leaders coordinated multi-tonne cocaine transshipments from Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador to the EU via logistics hubs in Spain’s Canary Islands and West Africa. In the three-year multilateral operation, authorities made 40 arrests (across Brazil, Croatia, Germany, Serbia, and Spain), seized eight tonnes of cocaine (in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain), and confiscated assets worth EUR 15.2 million (USD 16.5 million).
Crime
United States
According to the FBI, violent crime decreased in the US by 15 percent in the first three months of 2024 compared to the same period last year. The decrease includes a decline in murders and reported rapes, which both decreased by more than a quarter. Aggravated assaults also declined by 12.5 percent, while robberies decreased by 17.8 percent. US Attorney General Merrick Garland indicated the downward trend was largely a result of initiatives targeting gun crime and an increase in the number of police officers.
Active Assailant
United States
On 1 May, an assailant opened fire outside a middle school in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, but did not cause any fatalities or injuries. The shooter was unable to access the school building and was shot and killed by police. Authorities placed local schools on lockdown for several hours. The assailant's motive remains unknown, although unconfirmed reports indicate the shooter had a history of mental health issues. The frequency of school shootings has remained consistently high in the US in recent years. By June 24, there had been at least 34 school shootings in the US this year, compared to 35 in the same period of 2023 and 46 in the same period in 2022. The figures include shootings on college campuses and school grounds where at least one person was shot, not including the shooter.
Wrongful Detention
Nicaragua
In May 2024, police surrounded the home of Humberto Ortega, a retired general and the brother of President Daniel Ortega, after he referred to his brother’s regime as dictatorial in an interview with an online newspaper. Police also confiscated Humberto Ortega’s his cell phones and computers and installed a ‘specialised medical care unit’, prompting critics to label the move as house arrest under the guise of permanent medical care. Repression of civil society and religious groups has been a staple of Ortega’s regime. His regime disbanded 30 NGOs over the course of May this year.
Organised Crime
Honduras
On 14 June, President Xiomara Castro announced the “Crime Solution Plan”, a series of measures aimed at combatting violent crime in the country. The plan involves the deployment of security forces to municipalities with high levels of violent crime, the construction of a new prison, and reforms to the penal code, which will classify gang members who commit specific offences as terrorists. Castro has aimed to imitate the military crackdown of President Nayib Bukele in El Salvador; however, her efforts have so far failed to reduce violence, and there is little indication that this new policy will be more effective than her administration's previous initiatives.
