Security & Strategic Review - June 2017 (ISSN 1741-4202)

Last month the leftist Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) government led by President Luis Guillermo Solís announced new security measures. The move was in response to renewed public concerns after hitmen reportedly shot at a car at the entrance of a private school in Escazú canton, San José province. The incident left two dead, one of whom was Elias Akl, a Lebanese national with an international criminal record, and a six-year-old wounded. With the Solís government already under pressure due to the worsening security situation (attributed to increased drug trafficking activity in national territory), the incident once again highlights what should be a major government priority ahead of the February 2018 general election.