Global trends in kidnapping by terrorist groups

ISSN： 1478-1158

Source： Global Change, Peace & Security, Vol.24, Iss.3, 2012-10, pp. : 311-330

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Abstract

This study examines 40 years of kidnapping incidents by terrorist groups and finds several interesting trends, including terrorist groups are engaged in more kidnapping than in years past, but the proportion of kidnapping among all terrorist events annually has remained fairly constant; the geographic concentration of kidnapping incidents has shifted from Latin America (1970s-1990s) to South Asia (2000s-present); left-wing Marxist revolutionary groups have kidnapped more than groups in other ideological categories, but there has been a significant increase over the past decade in kidnappings by Muslim extremist groups; terrorist groups overall appear far less interested in kidnapping for financial gain than for political or policy concessions; and terrorist groups are selective about the type of people they target for kidnapping, which is striking given that many other kinds of terrorist attacks (e.g. bombings) are indiscriminate with regard to victims. The article concludes with some implications and recommendations for future research.