§ 1203. — Hostage taking.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC1203]
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 55--KIDNAPPING
Sec. 1203. Hostage taking
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, whoever,
whether inside or outside the United States, seizes or detains and
threatens to kill, to injure, or to continue to detain another person in
order to compel a third person or a governmental organization to do or
abstain from doing any act as an explicit or implicit condition for the
release of the person detained, or attempts or conspires to do so, shall
be punished by imprisonment for any term of years or for life and, if
the death of any person results, shall be punished by death or life
imprisonment.
(b)(1) It is not an offense under this section if the conduct
required for the offense occurred outside the United States unless--
(A) the offender or the person seized or detained is a national
of the United States;
(B) the offender is found in the United States; or
(C) the governmental organization sought to be compelled is the
Government of the United States.
(2) It is not an offense under this section if the conduct required
for the offense occurred inside the United States, each alleged offender
and each person seized or detained are nationals of the United States,
and each alleged offender is found in the United States, unless the
governmental organization sought to be compelled is the Government of
the United States.
(c) As used in this section, the term ``national of the United
States'' has the meaning given such term in section 101(a)(22) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22)).
(Added Pub. L. 98-473, title II, Sec. 2002(a), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat.
2186; amended Pub. L. 100-690, title VII, Sec. 7028, Nov. 18, 1988, 102
Stat. 4397; Pub. L. 103-322, title VI, Sec. 60003(a)(10), Sept. 13,
1994, 108 Stat. 1969; Pub. L. 104-132, title VII, Sec. 723(a)(1), Apr.
24, 1996, 110 Stat. 1300.)
Amendments
1996--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104-132 inserted ``or conspires'' after
``attempts''.
1994--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103-322 inserted before period at end
``and, if the death of any person results, shall be punished by death or
life imprisonment''.
1988--Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100-690 substituted ``(c) As'' for ``(C)
As''.
Effective Date
Section 2003 of part A (Secs. 2001-2003) of chapter XX of title II
of Pub. L. 98-473 provided that: ``This part and the amendments made by
this part [enacting this section and provisions set out as a note under
section 1201 of this title] shall take effect on the later of--
``(1) the date of the enactment of this joint resolution [Oct.
12, 1984]; or
``(2) the date the International Convention Against the Taking
of Hostages has come into force and the United States has become a
party to that convention [the convention entered into force June 6,
1983; and entered into force for the United States Jan. 6, 1985].''
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 1956, 2332b, 2333, 2339A,
2516, 3592 of this title.
