French police arrest 24 over kidnapping plots targeting crypto figures

Reuters

French police arrest 24 over kidnapping plots targeting crypto figures

The arrests come after failed plots in Paris and Nantes, including a May attempt to kidnap the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, co-founder of Bitcoin platform Paymium.

Police stopped another planned abduction in Nantes before it happened. Similar incidents have occurred across France recently.

One victim, the father of a crypto millionaire, was kidnapped in Paris in early May and rescued days later with a missing finger. His kidnappers demanded a ransom of €5-7 million.

In January, David Balland, co-founder of crypto firm Ledger, and his wife were kidnapped at home. Police rescued them after a few days; Balland also lost a finger. His kidnappers demanded €10 million. Several suspects have already been arrested in that case.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau held an emergency meeting with crypto leaders and pledged full government action to stop the attacks and protect those in the industry.

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