Britannia Protection security service

Port au Prince, Haiti. 🇭🇹
Cabinet Director kidnapped.
Armed men in Haiti have kidnapped James Boyard, cabinet director of the Defense Ministry and a highly respected security expert who also serves as inspector general of Haiti’s police, a person with the knowledge of the situation said Saturday.
He is the highest-ranking official to be kidnapped in the gang-wracked Caribbean country in recent years.
Local media reported that Boyard was seized Thursday in Bourdon, one of the few areas in Port-au-Prince that is considered relatively safe. An estimated 70% of the capital is controlled by a powerful gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm, which the U.S. designated as a foreign terrorist organization in May last year.

Boyard, who is also a political scientist, was tasked with helping rebuild Haiti’s armed forces and has helped assess Haiti’s National Police to implement reforms.
It was not clear who kidnapped him or whether a ransom has been requested.
“A person of this rank clearly has a fairly important security detail,” said Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.
He said the abduction of Boyard possibly suggests the kidnapping was planned with great detail and might have depended on the collaboration of someone close to his security detail.
Da Rin said kidnappings are increasingly occurring in areas of Port-au-Prince once considered safe, with gang members sometimes donning police uniforms and stopping drivers as part of fake operations.
He noted that gangs have been kidnapping people with double nationalities and targeting public officials. That could mean they are seeking higher ransoms and possibly trying to dissuade authorities from attacking certain gang-controlled territories where kidnapping victims are being held, Da Rin said.
Police recently have attacked Village de Dieu, which is controlled by the 5 Segond gang, led by Johnson Andre. Best known as “Izo,” he is considered one of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders.
Da Rin noted that gangs have been taking some kidnapping victims to Village de Dieu.
High-profile kidnappings in recent years have targeted people including Haitian journalists and international missionaries. At least 267 people were reported kidnapped from December 2025 to February 2026, most of them men, according to a U.N. report. In 2025, 1,268 kidnappings were reported, a nearly 40% drop from the 2,058 kidnapping reported the previous year, the report stated.

Venezuela🇻🇪
US military strike killed leader of Tren de Aragua gang
President Donald Trump said Friday that a “swift and lethal kinetic” U.S. strike has killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, whom he called “the infamous leader” of the Tren de Aragua gang.
Tren de Aragua has been labeled by the United States as a terrorist organization. Guerrero Flores was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including lending support to terrorists in crimes that stretched more than a decade, authorities announced in December.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that the strike occurred earlier in the week on a Tren de Aragua compound in Venezuela.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said at the time that the gang is responsible for countless acts of violence, extortion and drug trafficking in North America, South America and Europe. Trump nominated Clayton on Thursday to be director of national intelligence.
The U.S. State Department had offered rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to Guerrero Flores’ arrest.
In a post on his social media site, Trump wrote, “Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else and, under my leadership, we will find these vicious murderers and drug lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong.” Trump’s post referred to Guerrero Flores by his alias, “Niño Guerrero.”
The post also included unclassified video, shot from above, of a small building with a green roof exploding.
Hegseth said, “The operation underscores the shared U.S. and Venezuelan commitment to take the fight to narco-terrorists and deny them any safe haven in our hemisphere.”
Venezuela’s government released a statement confirmed its participation in the operation and revealed it took place in the southeastern state of Bolivar.
“During the operation, clashes occurred with members of criminal groups, resulting in the death of Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias ‘Niño Guerrero,’ the leader of one of these criminal organizations,” according to the statement.
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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica 🇨🇷
Laura Fernandez vows war on crime
Costa Rica's Laura Fernandez is set to be inaugurated president on Friday, with the right-wing politician vowing to wage a "war without quarter" on crime in the small Central American nation, long ​recognized as a bastion of peace and prosperity.
Fernandez, 39, has promised sweeping reforms to the judiciary ‌and existing security laws. Last week, she introduced Gerald Campos as her new security minister, vowing "a war without quarter, a heavy-handed war against organized crime."

Costa Rica, which abolished its military in 1948, has long been famed as one of the region's most peaceful ​nations.
However, its murder rates broke ​records during the four-year term of Fernandez' predecessor Rodrigo Chaves, which the U.S. attributed to ⁠Costa Rica becoming a key transit point for South American co***ne shipments destined for the U.S. and Europe.
Fernandez ​served as presidency minister under Chaves, who will continue to play an important role in the nation's politics as ​leader of her Sovereign People party and as Fernandez' own presidency and justice minister.

Chaves, who could not stand for re-election under Costa Rican law, had during his term repeatedly criticized the judiciary, prompting critics to accuse him of authoritarian tendencies reminiscent of nearby El ​Salvador's President Nayib Bukele.
Costa Rica is building a maximum security prison modeled after El Salvador's anti-terrorism CECOT center, where ​hundreds of Venezuelans were held without trial after being deported from the U.S. early last year.
Human rights groups have said detainees - ‌many ⁠of whom were sentenced in mass trials - have been subjected to torture, and deprived of food, medical care and legal services.

Fernandez' inauguration is scheduled for noon at the capital's ​National Stadium - a 2007 gift ⁠from China, though Chaves distanced himself from the Asian powerhouse during his term as he positioned himself closer to Washington.
Spain's King Felipe VI, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and ​U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau are set to attend, as well as ​the presidents ⁠of nearby Panama, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. Bukele, however, is set to miss the event, as will Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega.
Despite record murder rates, Chaves' presidency was marked by a strong post-pandemic economic recovery, low inflation and a reduction ⁠in poverty, ​though job creation remained limited.
Fernandez takes over the nation of just ​over 5 million people at a time of geopolitical uncertainty marked by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that has sent oil prices rocketing worldwide, ​and potentially greater fiscal pressures.

La Paz, Bolivia
Bolivian police fire tear gas at protesting teachers
Police forces fired tear gas at groups of protesting teachers in the capital city, La Paz. The event marked the culmination of tensions as three separate groups of educators rallied to voice their opposition to the government’s policies. The protests illustrate growing unrest among the teaching community regarding education reforms and other governmental measures.
The protests originated as teachers expressed dissatisfaction with the current administration’s approach to education. Demonstrators demanded improvements in salaries, working conditions, and the implementation of policies that address educational quality and access. The gatherings took place in prominent locations across La Paz, drawing considerable attention locally and internationally.
Authorities responded by deploying police units equipped with tear gas in an effort to disperse the crowds and restore order. Eyewitnesses reported chaotic scenes as protesters struggled against the tear gas, some seeking safety in nearby buildings and others retreating amid the aggressive police action. Several demonstrators sustained minor injuries, while no fatalities were reported.
The government’s stance emphasized the need to maintain public order and protect citizens’ safety during the demonstrations. Officials indicated that while they respect the right to protest, unlawful blockades and disruptions cannot be tolerated. The police action was described as a measure to prevent escalation and ensure free movement within the city.
Human rights organizations and opposition leaders have condemned the use of tear gas, calling for peaceful dialogue and negotiation with the teachers. They warned against excessive use of force and urged the government to address the root causes of the unrest through constructive engagement.
The Bolivian teachers’ latest protests are part of a broader pattern of social discontent affecting several sectors across the country. Economic difficulties, coupled with political challenges, continue to fuel strikes and demonstrations, reflecting widespread demands for reform and better governance.
International observers have urged all parties to exercise restraint and prioritize solutions that uphold democratic principles and human rights. The situation remains fluid, with ongoing talks anticipated between government representatives and teacher unions aimed at reaching a mutually acceptable resolution.
As the Bolivian government navigates these challenges, many citizens hope for a swift end to the conflict and the establishment of a more inclusive and effective education system. The protests underscore the critical importance of education in Bolivia’s social and political landscape, emphasizing the need for dialogue, understanding, and peaceful means to resolve disputes.

Cauca, Colombia 🇨🇴
Bomb leaves 19 dead, 38 injured.
A highway bomb attack in southwestern Colombia has killed 19 people and injured at least 38, the latest spate of violence ahead of next month’s presidential election.
Buses and vans were left mangled in the blast Saturday on the Pan-American Highway, in the restive southwestern Cauca department.
Several cars were flipped over by the force of the explosion and a large crater was blown out of the roadway.
The department’s governor on Saturday evening provided a death toll of 14, with more than 38 injured, but the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences said Sunday morning it had begun the examination of 19 bodies.
Military chief Hugo Lopez told a news conference on Saturday that the bomb had exploded after assailants stopped traffic by blocking the road with a bus and another vehicle.
The attack comes just over one month ahead of national elections, in which voters will pick a successor to President Gustavo Petro.
Petro blamed the bombing on Ivan Mordisco, the South American country’s most-wanted criminal, whom the president has compared to late co***ne kingpin Pablo Escobar.
The violence came after a bomb attack on Friday on a military base in Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, injured two people and set off a string of attacks in the Valle del Cauca and Cauca departments.
According to Lopez, 26 attacks have been recorded in the two departments over the past two days.
Authorities have boosted military and police presence in the areas, Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
Security is one of the central issues of the May 31 presidential election. Political violence was brought into sharp focus last June, when young conservative presidential frontrunner Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot in broad daylight while campaigning in the capital Bogota and later died from his wounds.
Leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda, an architect of Petro’s controversial policy of negotiating with armed groups, is ahead in polls.
He is trailed by right-wing candidates Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia, both of whom have pledged to take a hard line against rebel groups.
All three have reported receiving death threats and are campaigning under heavy security.

MEXICO CITY (AP)
Lone Gunman opened fire on tourists at Mexico’s iconic Teotihuacan pyramids.

The injured tourists that were hospitalized include six people from the U.S., three from Colombia, one from Russia, one from Brazil, one from the Netherlands and one from Canada, the local government said. The youngest person who was hurt was 6; the oldest was 61, Mexican authorities said.
In an update Tuesday morning, Mexico’s security cabinet said the injured patients were being treated at a clinic after spending the night in stable condition.
Authorities identified the attacker as 27-year-old Julio César Jasso Ramírez, a native of Guerrero, Mexico, who they said had carefully scouted the pyramids before opening fire.
The assailant carried a tactical-style backpack containing an analog cellphone and bus tickets, said José Luis Cervantes Martínez, the attorney general of the state of Mexico, which includes Teotihuacan.
Martínez also noted the presence of “literature, images and manuscripts” that related to “violent incidents known to have occurred in the United States in April 1999,” a likely reference to the Columbine attack in which 12 students and a teacher were killed.
Investigators built “a psychopathic profile” of the suspect that was “characterized by a tendency to copy situations that occurred in other places, at other times and involving other figures,’” the prosecutor added.
The Teotihuacan pyramids, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a series of ancient structures on the outskirts of Mexico City. As one of Mexico’s most important tourist destinations, the site drew more than 1.8 million international visitors last year, according to government figures.
The shooting took place shortly after 11:30 a.m. Monday, when dozens of tourists were at the top of the Pyramid of the Moon. The gunman fired upward, according to a tour guide who was at the scene and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.
“Some people, because they were scared ... threw themselves face-down on the ground, and the rest of us started to go down,” the guide said, recounting how the shooter began firing as tourists descended the pyramid’s steps.
Another group of visitors lay motionless on the pyramid’s platform to avoid being targeted.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney offered condolences to the family and friends of the Canadian tourist who was killed. He said Canadian authorities were working with those in Mexico.

The attack happened less than two months before Mexico co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament.