At around 8:30 a.m. local time, a gunman opened fire through the stained-glass windows of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, striking worshippers attending a school Mass. Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed in the attack, and 17 others were wounded. The shooter was identified as Robin Westman, 23, a graduate of the school, who died from a self-inflicted wound behind the church. Law enforcement officials disclosed that the shooter idolized mass killers and fired approximately 116 rifle rounds into the sanctuary. The incident is being treated as both a hate crime targeting Catholics and a potential act of domestic terrorism. Westman had posted bizarre videos on YouTube showing a rambling written statement and numerous guns painted with slurs, mass killers’ names, and political messages.

After three days in captivity in the dense jungles of Guaviare, thirty-three soldiers were released following negotiations facilitated by the Colombian Ombudswoman’s Office, supported by representatives of the United Nations and the Organization of American States. According to officials, the soldiers had been held under difficult conditions in rural El Retorno, where they were guarded by armed civilians acting under orders from a dissident faction of the former FARC. The captors had initially demanded the return of a deceased rebel commander’s body as a condition, but the release was ultimately secured without any concessions. Humanitarian mediators persuaded local community leaders and intermediaries that prolonging the soldiers’ detention would escalate tensions with the armed forces, which had already reinforced their presence in the region after the clashes. The soldiers were handed over to authorities in good health, though visibly fatigued, and were immediately transferred to San José del Guaviare for medical checkups and debriefings. Government officials praised the swift coordination among national institutions and international organizations, highlighting the release as a success of dialogue and pressure combined, rather than military rescue or financial concessions. (reuters.com, 28 August 2025)

The government confirmed that 33 soldiers were kidnapped in El Retorno, Guaviare, by dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) led by Néstor Vera Fernández, alias Iván Mordisco. The abductions are believed to be retaliation for a recent military operation that killed at least 11 guerrillas, including Willinton Vanegas Leyva, alias Dumar, a commander of the Central General Staff (EMC), composed of ex-FARC fighters who rejected the 2016 peace deal. Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the incident, calling it an “illegal, criminal action by people in civilian clothing.” The kidnapping took place in a region long known for coca cultivation and drug trafficking, a vital corridor for illicit operations. The case recalls a June episode when fifty-seven soldiers were held captive for two days in southwestern Colombia by another FARC dissident faction. Armed groups like the EMC remain heavily involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, and other crimes, continuing to destabilize parts of the country despite the 2016 peace deal with the FARC. Colombia’s six-decade conflict has already claimed more than 450,000 lives. (reuters.com, 26 August 2025 & aa.com.tr, 26 August 2025)

A 35-year-old former crypto trader identified only Alexandre was kidnapped and held captive between Paris and Saint-Germain-en-Laye before being released early morning, 27 August, after his captors failed to extract a €10,000 ransom from his contacts. The man was found by police officers walking home around 4:00 a.m. local time. The incident marked the latest in a surge of crypto-related kidnappings plaguing France. Police opened an investigation after receiving a call from Algeria, where one of the victim’s acquaintances had been sent a photo showing the victim identified only as Alexandre kneeling with his hands tied. The kidnappers demanded €10,000 in exchange for his release, prompting authorities to geolocate his phone in Paris’s 10th arrondissement. He appeared visibly shocked and bore facial swelling and injuries consistent with strangulation attempts by his attackers during his confinement. Forensic technicians collected traces and evidence from his clothing and skin in order to identify the perpetrators, while investigators are working to verify his account of the circumstances. The case represents just the tenth crypto-linked kidnapping reported in France in recent months, contributing to a global surge that has seen at least thirty-two so-called “wrench attacks” in 2025. Nearly a third of these incidents have occurred in France, positioning the country as a dangerous hotspot for crypto-related violent crime. French authorities believe organized crime networks are systematically targeting crypto entrepreneurs and their families through increasingly brutal tactics. In May 2025, prosecutors charged twenty-five suspects linked to multiple abduction plots, including an attempt on Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat’s daughter, carried out using fake delivery vans as cover. (leparisien.fr, 27 August 2025)

A coordinated riots erupted inside El Boquerón prison in Cuilapa, Santa Rosa, and the Pavoncito prison in Fraijanes, both facilities housing members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang. During the unrest, inmates overpowered personnel and took a total of 13 hostages, six in El Boquerón and seven in Pavoncito. The captives included prison guards and civilian workers delivering food supplies. They were held for nearly 12 hours as part of a broader protest led by gang leaders angered by the government’s decision to transfer and isolate top MS-13 commanders inside the maximum-security Renovación I facility, where strict controls and communication restrictions have cut off their ability to direct criminal operations. Security forces responded with a heavy deployment of police and military units, surrounding the prisons and negotiating while preparing for forced entry. The hostages were released unharmed in the early hours of 23 August  after a tense standoff. Officials emphasized that no deals or concessions were granted to the rioters and that the state maintained full control of the prisons following the incident. The Ministry of the Interior later confirmed that the transfer measures for gang leaders would remain in place, signaling a hard-line stance against criminal groups attempting to use violence to influence prison policy. This episode highlighted the fragile conditions within Guatemala’s penitentiary system, where overcrowding and gang dominance have long fueled instability. It also underscored the government’s challenge of imposing maximum-security measures on organizations like MS-13 without triggering violent reprisals inside the prisons. (prensalibre.com, 23 August 2025)

Armed bandits attacked worshippers during dawn (Fajr) prayers at a mosque in Unguwan Mantau, Malumfashi Local Government Area (LGA), Katsina State, and also raided nearby homes. Initial official casualty tallies reported at least 13 dead, while subsequent accounts from officials and residents raised the toll to at least 30 people killed in the mosque and another 20 burned alive in surrounding villages, bringing the total to 50, with roughly 60 people kidnapped. Authorities said the attack likely followed a community ambush that killed several gunmen days earlier. No group claimed responsibility, consistent with northwestern Nigeria’s banditry crisis tied to rural conflicts and criminal raids.