French police continue to fight kidnappings in the cryptocurrency world. As reported by our colleagues at Le Monde, "a new wave of arrests" has just taken place in France.
The arrests are linked to the attempted kidnapping of the daughter of Pierre Noizat, founder of the startup Paymium. On May 13, the young woman was attacked by three hooded individuals while walking in the 11th arrondissement with her two-year-old daughter and her partner. With the help of a neighbor armed with a fire extinguisher, the neighbor managed to drive the thugs away in a van. The scene, filmed by several witnesses, sparked fear in the crypto ecosystem in France.
New suspects arrested
During the May 27 operation, police arrested half a dozen individuals. They are suspected of participating in the attempted kidnapping "to varying degrees". The criminals are now in the hands of the judicial police at the Paris police headquarters. The majority of the suspects are from the Paris region.
The arrests follow another crackdown, organized less than 24 hours earlier by law enforcement. After a lengthy investigation, authorities arrested around ten suspects involved in kidnappings of relatives of crypto entrepreneurs. According to investigators, a criminal organization is behind the attacks. To carry out the kidnappings, which were carefully planned in advance, the organization turned to "multi-task" teams recruited on social media. These are mostly young offenders already known for violent crimes.
A Double Kidnapping Planned
Some of the individuals arrested by the authorities at the beginning of the week were preparing to take action again. Indeed, the suspects had planned to orchestrate a double kidnapping in the Nantes region. The kidnappers were arrested in the act, equipped with the perfect kidnapper's gear, namely balaclavas and fake weapons.
The suspects are said to be using fake weapons to prevent one of the kidnappers, in a panic, from opening fire on the target. The kidnappers had prepared two vans to escape with their captives. While the investigation continues, the Ministry of the Interior has announced a large-scale plan to protect ecosystem stakeholders on French soil.
According to a study by Binance, the number of violent incidents targeting cryptocurrency holders has exploded worldwide. The exchange recorded 15 extortion attempts during 2025, including three in France. Since 2019, there have been six similar attacks in France. As Binance indicates, these incidents are increasing as the price of Bitcoin tends to rise. The queen of cryptocurrencies has just reached a new historic record by rising above $110,000, further attracting the attention of criminals...
Source: Le Monde
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