The author of the travel book “The World’s Most Dangerous Places” was kidnapped with two other Americans near the Colombia-Panama border, police said Tuesday. Author Robert Young Pelton, 47, of Redondo Beach, Megan A. Smaker, 22, of Oakland and Mark Wedeven, whose hometown wasn’t released, were traveling Saturday through a lawless area used by Colombian guerrillas and paramilitary groups for drug and arms trafficking, authorities said. Pelton was researching a story for National Geographic’s Adventure Magazine. Smaker is a firefighter who was traveling on vacation, Pelton’s wife said. The three may have met in Panama City and shared a guide, she said. Pelton wrote the book on how to avoid such situations, but during a visit to Indian villages in Panama just north of the Colombian border, the group was captured after about 150 heavily armed invaders swept into the village. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.