The French authorities billed 25 people, including six minors, on a series of kidnappings and attempted kidnapping linked to the country’s cryptocurrency sector.
The group, aged 16 to 23, faces accusations linked to several plots targeting Crypto personalities and their families, reported the world, citing an announcement from the Paris prosecutor’s office on May 31.
According to the report, eighteen suspects are now in prior detention, three have requested a deferred hearing and four remain under judicial surveillance.
The investigation focuses on an attempted abduction failed on May 13 in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. The objectives were the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, CEO of French Crypto Exchange Paymium.
In the heart of Paris, a man a violent summer by hooded individuals, dressed in black. They tried to remove it. A man a surgery, extinguisher by hand, for the Fers Fleur. → https: //t.co/p0qv6pr40v pic.twitter.com/9f4r2gi7ho
– Le Figaro (@le_figaro) May 13, 2025
The authorities say it was not the first attempt – a similar plot was staged the day before. A few days later, the police also thwarted another operation near Nantes.
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The brains behind the plot remain unknown
Images of the May 13 incident, which circulated largely on social networks, showed four masked attackers attacking the daughter of Noizat, her husband and their child. The victims underwent minor injuries and were treated at the hospital.
The suspects would come from a wide range of circles, including people born in the Paris region, Châtellerault, Senegal, Angola and Russia.
Many of them have been described by defense lawyers as “young profiles attracted by money and taken in a situation independent of their control”.
The Paris affair is part of a broader increase in abductions linked to cryptography through France this year. The very publicized incidents include the co -founder of the abduction of January David Balland and his partner, as well as the abduction of May 1 of the father of one millionaire crypto – an incident according to the investigators is linked to the current attack of attacks.
So far, the police have arrested lower level agents and logistics coordinators, but the brains behind these plots remain unidentified.
The growing threat drew national attention. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau met professionals in the cryptographic industry in mid-May to discuss protection measures. The ministry then announced increased cooperation between law implementation companies and cryptography, including home safety checks carried out by police and gendarmerie officers.
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Insurance companies to cover Crypto risks
As indicated, insurers run to develop new protections aimed at a growing physical threat: the kidnapping of the crypto.
At least three companies specializing in cryptographic insurance and security are now preparing tailor -made Kidnap and Rançon policies (K&R) for digital asset investors, according to a recent NBC News report.
Similarly, managers and investors in the cryptographic industry are looking for more and more personal security services. On May 18, the private company Infinite Risks International reported an increase in bodyguards and protective contracts against high -level figures in cryptographic space.
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