The last thing anyone wants to be told is that a loved one has been taken hostage by a criminal gang or terrorist group. What next? What can be done? Borealis talks to Rachel Briggs, first director of Hostage UK and founding executive director of Hostage US on this fascinating issue!
If the ins and outs of terrorism, extremism, national security and public safety are of interest to you, subscribe to receive free content by former Canadian intelligence analyst and author Phil Gurski on these issues.
About my guest Rachel Briggs
Rachel Briggs OBE is one of the world’s leading experts on international hostage taking. She was the first Director of Hostage UK and Founding Executive Director of Hostage US, non-profits that support hostages and their families.
She is currently writing a book about hostage taking and working to find solutions to the rise of state hostage taking. You can read her work here: https://rachelbriggs.org
About the host Phil Gurski
![This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Phil-Gurski.jpg](https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phil-Gurski.jpg)
Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.
From 1983 to 2001 he was employed as a senior multilingual analyst at Communications Security Establishment (CSE – Canada’s signals intelligence agency), specialising in the Middle East.
About Hostage US
Hostage US is a 501c3 non-profit organization that supports families of Americans taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad and supports hostages and detainees when they return home.
Each year, an estimated 200 Americans are taken hostage overseas. We are here to help families survive this terrifying ordeal and help former hostages rebuild their life after captivity.
Listen to more episodes:
![](https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/cropped-borealis_logo_rgb1.jpg)
Why does the government of Canada ignore some types of violence?
You would think the targeting of hundreds of Canadian churches for political reasons would warrant a tougher response. Alas you would…
![](https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/cropped-borealis_logo_rgb1.jpg)
Why has Canada forgotten about the 1985 Air India terrorist attack perpetrated by Sikh terrorists?
Canadians are woefully ignorant of terrorists from BC who perpetrated the 1985 Air India attack, and few think it can happen again.
![](https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/cropped-borealis_logo_rgb1.jpg)
How bad has anti-Semitism gotten in Canada?
Criticism of a state over its acts is an acceptable form of protest: what happens when that state is Israel and opposition…