February 2025 TorchStone Global Monthly Executive Protection Report
TorchStone Global believes that broader situational awareness and intelligence are key to providing quality executive protection—whether the principal is a Fortune 500 CEO, international celebrity, or local city council member. With that in mind, we are launching our monthly executive protection report, cataloging incidents we have captured through our open-source searches that are relevant to the practice of executive protection. We hope the report will serve as a centralized source of threat activity to provide insight into current trends in threats to high-profile individuals.
For more information on customized threat tracking for at-risk individuals, threat assessments, executive protection, or other security services, please contact us.
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Summary
The TorchStone Executive Protection Report tracked 23 domestic and 13 international security incidents or updates to prior incidents impacting high-profile individuals during the month of February 2025. Below are some key incidents of note over the past month.
- Tesla offices, dealerships, and charging stations in North America and Europe have become targets of protests and vandalism over the past month due to public discontent with the carmaker’s CEO, Elon Musk. The sudden rise in attacks targeting Tesla property corresponds to Musk’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government under President Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency. While acts of vandalism and disrupted attacks against Tesla have not directly targeted Musk, the campaign is clearly aimed at Musk – the U.S. Marshals reportedly deputized Musk’s private security team this month, giving them more powers to protect the CEO in his current federal government role. While Musk himself will be a hard target for any protesters, activists, or violent individuals, Tesla has thousands of locations spread out across the world. Tesla and other companies associated with Musk will likely continue to be a proxy for public discontent over his government position. Anger towards Musk is exacerbated by the ongoing veneration of Luigi Mangione and the general climate of animosity towards CEOs.
- The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against seven Chilean nationals suspected of targeting the homes of prominent professional athletes in recent months that resulted in the theft of millions of dollars in property. Investigators identified the members of the South American Theft Group by collating data from cellphone towers and license plate readers to triangulate phone numbers and cars that could have been involved in the crimes. Despite identifying this gang, the threat to professional athletes’ and celebrities’ homes continues: just this past month, thieves targeted a quarterback for the University of Miami Hurricanes and a Los Angeles-based professional soccer player.
- For the first time since TorchStone began the monthly Executive Protection report, state and regional level government officials were the most targeted group for the month. There is no single dynamic that explains the increase in threats against state and regional government officials. Other than the two Connecticut state-level officials who likely received hoax bomb threats from the same individual, the cases are not related. While most occurred in the United States, there were also incidents in Pakistan and Mexico. All of the incidents were Verbal/Written Threats other than the attempted kidnapping of a governor’s wife in Mexico, which was an attack. TorchStone will continue monitoring threats to state and regional-level government officials for signs of a more coordinated effort.
Business Executive
| Location: Dallas, TX | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Home |
February 2, 2025: The Dallas Mavericks NBA team increased their security ahead of the game against the Houston Rockets after trading Luka Dončić. The added security is due to the angry fan reaction to the Mavericks’ general manager Nico Harrison’s trade of Dončić. As a result of the unpopular trade, Harrison has received death threats. The Mavericks anticipated the move would be unpopular with its base.
| Location: London, UK | Tactic: Harassment | Venue: Public Area |
February 4, 2025: Protesters confronted the newly promoted CEO of The Lancaster Landmark Hotel Company, Fergus Stewart, in opposition to a private jet conference. Protesters also called for taxing and abolishing billionaires. Stewart and his security physically interacted with the protestors, attempting to remove the protestors thwarting the conference. The interaction resulted in police de-escalation and the conference being disrupted and blocked off.
| Location: Los Angeles, CA | Tactic: Harassment | Venue: Home |
February 5, 2025: United Talent Agency Vice Chairman and University of California Regent Jay Sures’ Brentwood home was vandalized during a pro-Palestinian protest. A group of around 50 masked demonstrators left bloody handprints, fliers, and caution tape across the garage door and front yard before police dispersed them. The garage sits several feet within Sures’ property, meaning those who placed the fliers and handprints on the structure were trespassing. This incident occurred six months after the UC Regents voted to ban political statements from university homepages, a policy driven by Sures that drew criticism for its impact on pro-Palestinian expression.
| Location: Nairobi, Kenya | Tactic: Attack | Venue: Public Area |
February 15, 2025: A Kenyan cattle herder found the body of a murdered Scottish businessman in a sack after he went missing from his hotel. Campbell Scott, a senior director at Fico, had arrived in Nairobi for a conference at the JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi. When he did not return to his hotel, colleagues filed a police report. Mr. Scott was last seen with an unidentified man after having gone to a nightclub. Police arrested a local taxi driver and waiter from the night club. The body had visible injuries, with police reporting that his hands and legs had been bound with rope. Many details of his death remain unknown.
| Location: Lake Oswego, OR | Tactic: Attack | Venue: Home |
February 21, 2025: Police are investigating a possible targeted shooting at the home of Chip Terhune, CEO of SAIF Corporation, in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Terhune alleges he woke up to the sound of rocks hitting his windows, only to discover that they were gunshots. Terhune received a threatening email from an individual claiming to be the shooter. The email suggests prior knowledge of the names and addresses of employees at SAIF Corporation. SAIF Co. is a nonprofit that provides worker’s compensation insurance in Oregon.
Celebrity
| Location: Memphis, TN | Tactic: Other Crime | Venue: Home |
December 19, 2024: Memphis Grizzlies basketball player Ja Morant reported the robbery of jewelry, watches, and luxury bags valued at $1 million while playing a home game against the Golden State Warriors. The theft ring allegedly behind the December incident had targeted other star athletes, including Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Joe Burrow. The suspects face charges that include “conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property.” A local Memphis news outlet revealed that Morant’s home was among those targeted in a Feb 20 report.
| Location: Essex, UK | Tactic: Other Crime | Venue: Home |
January 18, 2025: A masked gang broke into the home of British actors Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan while they were at home. After hearing a window break, Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright hid in a locked bedroom. Michelle Keegan was pregnant during the invasion and expecting the couple’s first child. Police were alerted of the break-in by the security system. By the time the police arrived, the gang, wearing all black, had fled in a getaway car. The couple frequently posted details about their home on their Instagram account, which had attracted millions of views and potentially made them a target.
| Location: Brampton, Canada | Tactic: Attack | Venue: Home |
February 4, 2025: Assailants shot at Punjabi singer Prem Dhillon’s residence and accused him of discrediting and mocking the late Indian rapper Sidhu Moose Wala. A known gangster, who is an associate of a wanted Indian terrorist, took responsibility for the attack. Previous attacks and threats have fueled ongoing tensions in the Punjabi music industry. These conflicts continue to create instability within the community.
| Location: Los Angeles, CA | Tactic: Other Crime | Venue: Home |
February 5, 2025: Thieves burglarized the home of Olivier Giroud, a star member of the Los Angeles Football Club, stealing $500,000 in jewelry. Giroud’s wife reported the burglary after discovering a smashed window. The jewelry included over 10 men’s watches, valued at half a million dollars. Los Angeles detectives continue to investigate.
| Location: New Jersey | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 6, 2025: After Liam Payne’s death, Kate Cassidy, his former girlfriend, reported that she received numerous death threats. She revealed that people attacked her online with threats and accused her of being a gold digger, even mocking her funeral attire. Facing relentless trolling, she decided to take a break from social media.
| Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL | Tactic: Stalking | Venue: Home |
February 10, 2025: OnlyFans model Sophie Rain and a group of influencers faced a security threat when a suspected stalker unlawfully entered their South Florida rental property, prompting a SWAT standoff and subsequent arrest. The influencers discovered a shattered back window, an active alarm, and the intruder inside. The suspect attempted to claim ownership of the property, but the group swiftly evacuated and alerted authorities. SWAT and Coast Guard units responded, successfully apprehending the suspect after prolonged negotiations without further incident.
| Location: Dubai, UAE | Tactic: Stalking | Venue: Other Restricted Area |
February 18, 2025: Professional tennis player Emma Raducanu paused play at the Dubai Tennis Championships after she recognized a man in the stands who had previously stalked her. Raducanu appeared rattled and stopped playing in the first set. She reported that it was the same man that had approached her in a bizarre encounter earlier that week that made her fear for her safety. Her opponent consoled her after security removed the man. The WTA banned the man from all WTA events. Raducanu has been stalked before, and in 2022, she filed a restraining order against a former Amazon delivery driver who left notes, flowers, and Christmas decorations at her home in London.
| Location: Coral Gables, FL | Tactic: Other Crime | Venue: Home |
February 20, 2025: Miami Hurricanes Quarterback Carson Beck reported that a Mercedes, Lamborghini, and Range Rover were stolen outside of his Miami-Dade home. Beck and his girlfriend, Miami basketball player and social media influencer Hanna Cavinder, were home during the theft. Police found the Range Rover and Mercedes the following day. They are still searching for the Lamborghini.
| Location: Seoul, South Korea | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Other Restricted Area |
February 21, 2025: Hundreds of attendees were evacuated after a bomb threat at a concert for American rapper Hollis Frazier-Herndon, who goes by 2hollis. The police report claimed the explosive device had been planted at the concert venue. A SWAT team conducted a search of the venue and found no hazard. Authorities are still investigating the bomb threat.
| Location: Tijuana, Mexico | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Public Area |
February 26, 2025: Grupo Firme, a Mexican regional music band, cancelled a performance after Mexican authorities discovered a severed human head in a plastic box next to a banner that read, “Grupo Firme if you perform at Mazatlán Carnival we will kill you all.” The singers announced the cancellation of the performance on social media, and they did not immediately disclose the reasons for the cancellation. The threat follows a series of similar threats from cartels involving banners against musicians performing songs with political statements speaking out against the cartels. Many Mexican musicians have been murdered by cartel gunmen for songs supporting rival cartels.
Federal Government
| Location: Prague, Czech Republic | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 1, 2025: Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued online death threats against Czech Senator Miroslava Němcová, calling her a “degenerate European creature.” His attack stemmed from a fake social media post that falsely claimed she had called for a renewed blockade of Leningrad and for millions of Russians to die. The fabricated post spread rapidly through Russian media, leading Russia’s Investigative Committee to launch an investigation. In response, Němcová strongly condemned the disinformation campaign and stressed the need to verify information before accepting it as truth.
| Location: Bacolod City, Philippines | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 9, 2025: Bacolod City Rep. Greg Gasataya has sought an investigation into an anonymous veiled threat against his life on social media. Rep. Gasataya reported the incident to the Anti-Cybercrime police unit. The black and white image depicted Gasataya sitting on a couch with prayer emojis and the caption “1970-2025,” implying a memorial. Gasataya says he is committed to elections free of violence and urged constituents to speak out against intimidation.
| Location: Clarksville, IN | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 18, 2025: Police arrested an Indiana man for allegedly posting death threats against Elon Musk on X. The suspect was taken for further questioning. Police searched the home and found an AR-15 rifle, a handgun, ammunition, and a ballistic vest.
| Location: Washington, D.C. | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 21, 2025: The Department of Justice issued a letter to Congressman Robert Garcia of California stating that his comments about Elon Musk constituted a threat. Garcia had posted in response to a question about how Democrats can stop Elon Musk, “What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight. This is a fight for democracy.” After receiving the letter, Garcia said that no reasonable person would view his comments as a threat and that members of Congress reserved the right to forcefully oppose the Trump administration.
| Location: Sofia, Bulgaria | Tactic: Attack | Venue: Office |
February 22, 2025: Members of Bulgaria’s right-wing Revival party stormed the European Union mission in Bulgaria during a protest against Bulgaria’s plans to adopt the Euro currency in 2026. The protestors threw paint, set off firecrackers, and set off incendiary devices at the EU building. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the attack “outrageous.” Bulgaria’s government issued a statement that the attack contradicted the rule of law.
| Location: Marseilles, France | Tactic: Attack | Venue: Office |
February 24, 2025: Two researchers working for France’s National Centre for Scientific Research admitted to attacking the Russian consulate in Marseille, France, on the anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Two of the three devices exploded but caused minimal damage and no injuries. Police identified the suspects (an engineer and a chemist) based on their presence at an anti-Russia rally nearby earlier the same day of the attack. The Russian Consulate General in Marseilles called the explosions a terrorist attack, demanding France investigate. The French foreign ministry condemned the attack and resolved to undertake an investigation, stating that any attack on personnel and diplomatic compounds is a violation of international law.
| Location: Washington, D.C. | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 24, 2025: TikToker Sarah C. Roberts posted a video threatening violence against Elon Musk and admitting to not paying taxes. She made a hand gesture of slashing a throat and called for Musk’s assassination. After posting the video, a Washington D.C. area attorney replied, indicating that he would be investigating her.
State Government
| Location: Lansing, MI | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 5, 2025: Michigan State Rep. Laurie Phutsky received threats after telling a crowd protesting President Trump that she underwent surgery to remove her reproductive organs. She reported to law enforcement at least one of the threats and admitted she does not see an issue with anything she has said. She told the crowd she wanted to validate the fears women may have due to President Trump’s comments regarding limiting access to contraception.
| Location: Downer’s Grove, IL | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 7, 2025: Authorities issued a warrant for a man charged with leaving threatening voicemails for Illinois State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray. Police reported that he left violent messages, threatening to “blow up” Rep. Stava-Murray’s office and asking for her address in November 2024. Police stated that threats to an elected official “will not be tolerated.”
| Location: Aguascalientes, Mexico | Tactic: Attack | Venue: Public Area |
February 7, 2025: Brenda Marisol Montañez Saucedo, wife of Villa Hidalgo, Juarez Mayor Jaime Cruz Villalpando, was abducted by members of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel in Aguascalientes. On February 4, Villalpando’s son attempted to negotiate with the cartel members and was kidnapped. Villalpando met with the cartel the next day to free his son and was also abducted. Villalpando and his son were released after Villalpando agreed to replace the municipal Public Security Chief. After reneging on the coerced agreement, the cartel called for him to comply. He refused, leading to the discovery that his wife had been kidnapped presumably by the cartel as punishment for Villalpando refusing to comply with the demand.
| Location: Karachi, Pakistan | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 16, 2025: Governor of the Sindh region of Pakistan, Kamran Tessori, revealed that he had received an email threatening him and his family shortly before embarking on an international trip to the UK. The sender warned the Governor that he would face the same fate as his predecessor, who was assassinated in London in 2010. The sender also claimed that they knew about the daily activities of the governor’s wife and children, who reside in Pakistan.
| Location: Albuquerque, NM | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 20, 2025: State Senator Joseph Cervantes received death threats on a Republican website after he sponsored a bill restricting the sale and possession of semi-automatic firearms. On social media, an official Republican account posted a photo of Cervantes and a caption claiming that Sen. Cervantes plotted overreach to “ban guns.” Sen. Cervantes countered that the idea was a “lie” and said that he “deeply” cannot condone violence. In response, commentators included his home address and GPS coordinates and suggested he receive the death penalty for “treason.” Sen. Cervantes has not filed a police report and has said that any suggestion that he is working to ban guns is false.
| Location: Stamford, CT | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Home |
February 21, 2025: Connecticut Attorney General William Tong received a bomb threat at his residence in Stamford. Local and state law enforcement responded quickly, ensuring the safety of Tong and his family. Stamford police announced that the FBI is investigating the incident and that there is no information regarding a suspect.
| Location: Coer d’Alene, ID | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Home |
February 22, 2025: Police arrested a man who threatened state Rep. Jordan Redman and his family on Facebook. In one of the posts, the suspect posted a video outside of Rep. Jordan Redman’s office and commented that he had plans to “firebomb” the office. Police charged the suspect with threatening a public service worker and a misdemeanor threat against a state official.
| Location: Crete, IL | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 26, 2025: Prosecutors charged a man for threatening to shoot Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in the face on a state website. The threatening message was reportedly submitted online through the “Voice an Opinion” page on Pritzker’s state website, where it included a negative comment about Pritzker’s physical appearance and accused him of being a stalker. The man denied possessing firearms and claimed that he had no intention to harm the governor.
| Location: Brookfield, CT | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Home |
February 26, 2025: Connecticut State Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding received an emailed bomb threat claiming a pipe bomb had been placed in his mailbox. Law enforcement searched his Brookfield residence and found no explosives. Both officials expressed gratitude towards law enforcement and condemned such threats as unacceptable.
Local Government
| Location: Zubin Potok, Kosovo | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 3, 2025: Izmir Zeqiri, Mayor of Zubin Potok, Kosovo, announced that a member of the press threatened him on social media for the fourth time. He noted that the individual threatened him with murder while insulting heroes of the Albanian people. Zeqiri has made previous complaints against this person. The case has been referred to the Serious Crimes Department.
| Location: Belmont County, OH | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 6, 2025: An Ohio mayor was arrested for threatening to blow up a courthouse. The suspect called the auditor’s office and claimed they owed his mother money from several years ago. No one understood what he was referring to, and he made a verbal threat that he would blow up the courthouse. The mayor faces charges of inducing panic and aggravated menacing.
| Location: Minneapolis, MN | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Office |
February 10, 2025: Robin Wonsley, a Minneapolis City Council Member, accused a pastor of threatening her after the pastor disrupted a budget committee hearing on funding violence prevention. In the hearing, council members discussed moving policing alternatives to Hennepin County, citing concerns of fraud and waste of the Neighborhood Safety Department. The hearing quickly became confrontational. After the committee meeting, the pastor publicly made death threats against council members and referred to weapons.
Community Leader
| Location: Washington, D.C. | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Other Restricted Area |
February 23, 2025: A bomb threat was posted online, targeting a room at the J.W. Marriott in Washington, D.C. The post mentioned “Emperor Trump” and listed well-known celebrities “who deserve to die.” The individual also claimed to have placed a bomb at the Principles First summit in D.C. and rigged the mailbox of former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Michael Fanone’s mother to detonate upon opening. They ended the statement with the acronym “MAGA.”
| Location: Boston, MA | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 24, 2025: Gladys Vega, the executive director of La Colaborativa, a well-known leader in the immigrant rights and social services community, received a death threat. She reported that a man approached her outside the organization’s building, claiming she had “destroyed the city” and that her “days are numbered.” Vega has not decided whether to press charges, but the organization now has police monitoring its buildings. Another immigrant leader, Sandra Lorena Aleman Nijjar, condemned the threat and warned that failing to take action could encourage further attacks on immigrant advocates.
| Location: Washington, D.C. | Tactic: Verbal/Written Threat | Venue: Communication Channels |
February 25, 2025: An active microphone recorded Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) saying that he would “kill” former Fox News host Tucker Carlson if the two ever met. The comments were made after an interview when Rep. Crenshaw apparently thought that the recording was over. The video has prompted outrage from the right, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Rep. Crenshaw later admitted the comments were a “joke.”
| Location: Moscow, Russia | Tactic: Stalking | Venue: Other Restricted Area |
February 28, 2025: Russia’s FSB arrested two church figures for allegedly plotting to kill a priest close to President Vladimir Putin, Tikhon Shevkunov, on behalf of a Ukrainian spy agency. Russian media has called Shevkunov “Putin’s confessor”, and the two men have allegedly known one another since the 1990s. Ukrainian Intelligence denied the assassination plot.