French authorities have charged 25 suspects, including six minors, in connection with a string of brazen kidnappings and attempted abductions targeting prominent figures in France’s cryptocurrency industry.
Le Monde reports that in a major crackdown on crypto-related crime, the Paris public prosecutor’s office announced on Saturday that 18 people have been placed in pre-trial detention, three have requested deferred hearings, and four are under judicial supervision. The suspects, ranging in age from 16 to 23, are believed to be involved in multiple plots to kidnap or extort money from crypto executives and their families.
The investigation was launched after a shocking attempted kidnapping on May 13, which targeted the daughter and grandson of the CEO of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency firm. The brazen daytime attack in Paris was captured on video and went viral on social media, showing four masked men assaulting the victims. Fortunately, the woman, her husband, and their child suffered only minor injuries.
Authorities revealed that the probe also encompasses other unsuccessful plans, including a failed attempt on the same targets the day before the viral incident and a foiled operation near Nantes on May 29. Police managed to thwart the Nantes abduction and arrested over 20 suspects linked to that plot and another targeting the pregnant daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, a prominent crypto entrepreneur.
The suspects hail mostly from the Paris region, with others coming from Senegal, Angola, and Russia. Ambroise Vienet-Legué, a lawyer defending an 18-year-old suspect in the Nantes case, described the situation as involving “very young profiles, lured by money and then caught up in a situation that is beyond them.”
This series of crypto-related kidnappings has rocked France since the beginning of the year. In January, David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, and his partner were abducted, and on May 1, the father of a wealthy crypto investor was kidnapped. Sources close to the investigation have indicated that the May 13 and May 1 cases are linked.
While the arrests so far include “subordinates” and “logistics” figures, no instigators have been apprehended yet, according to sources familiar with the case. The growing threat to the cryptocurrency sector has prompted Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau to convene a meeting with industry professionals in mid-May to devise joint protective measures. The ministry mentioned “enhanced collaboration” between law enforcement and the crypto industry, including security checks of homes by national police and gendarmerie officers, but did not provide specific details.
Read more at Le Monde here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
