Bird of prey with abductor about to be released for ransom first (6)
I believe the answer is:
raptor
'bird of prey' is the definition.
(raptor can mean a bird of prey)
'about to be released for ransom first' is the wordplay.
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'be released for' becomes 'rap' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'ransom first' becomes 'r' (rst letter of 'ransom').
'rap'+'r'='rapr'
'to' put within 'rapr' is 'RAPTOR'.
'with abductor' is the link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for raptor that I've seen before include "Hunter" , "Parrot (anag) - bird of prey" , "Eagle, hawk, falcon or owl - parrot (anag)" , "Harrier possibly" .)