[Not_Who_U_Think]

I think the ransom note is one of the more interesting aspects of the case.
For example:

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"Listen carefully! We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction. We respect your business but not the country that it serves. At this time we have your daughter in our possession. She is safe and unharmed, and if you want her to see 1997, you must follow our instructions to the letter"

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these guys are a modest, almost a polite group of terrorists! There's definitely a female slant to the writing - I can't see a male writing the '1997' sentence.

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"The delivery will be exhausting so I advise you to be rested. If we monitor you getting the money early, we
might call you early to arrange an earlier delivery of the money and hence an earlier pickup of your daughter."
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Hence? Who uses that? and in a ransom note??? It's like the write has watched a few Bond movies as their inspiration for the character they're trying to portray. Oh, and by the way, we're flexible. If you get the dough early, let us know and we'll drop off your kid.

All of this was obviously written for misdirection. The big question is by who?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

It is laughable that a "small foreign faction" would actually call themselves a "small foreign faction". The entire language of the ransom note is laughable.