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- Crypto figures targeted in France, as 25 charged after kidnapping attempts on their families.
- Suspects aged 16-23 used stolen vehicles and fake couriers to carry out abductions for ransom.
- Investigation grows after May 27 raids, with links to a larger criminal network suspected.
French authorities have brought charges against 25 suspects after a series of attempted kidnappings targeting the families of people in the cryptocurrency industry, according to sources from the area. There are allegations that the accused, some as young as 16, are involved in organized abductions of people within the expanding digital asset community. Because of these abduction attempts, people in France’s cryptocurrency community are worried.
Reports say the suspects, whose ages range from 16 to 23, used vehicles and copied courier labels to conduct their attacks. The target for these hackers was wealthy people in the world of cryptocurrency, hoping to get a ransom from them. Officials in France report that the suspects belonged to a network that pursued similar plots against those thought to have lots of cryptocurrency.
High-Profile Crypto Kidnapping Attempt
On 13 May 2025, the highest-profile incident happened when masked attackers tried to kidnap Pierre Noizat’s family. Noizat, Paymium’s CEO, was attacked in the 11th arrondissement in Paris. During the day, the assailants violently attacked Noizat’s daughter and grandson and the incident was shared on social media later. Minor injuries resulted in the victims being brought to a local hospital.
French authorities think that the attack was part of a wider crime scheme. One day before the Paris incident, there was another failed abduction attempt. A similar operation happened during the same period at Nantes. Authorities are investigating if these incidents are connected by the same criminal group behind them.
Out of the 25 people facing trial, 18 are held in pre-trial detention and four are under regular court supervision. Three people involved in the case have applied to have their hearings delayed. Those involved in these cases are from Paris and from other places like Senegal, Angola and Russia. The lawyers for defendants argue that some young suspects were seduced into crimes by the assurance of simple ways to earn more money.
Authorities Target Crypto Criminals
The investigation made great progress after a number of mass arrests were made on May 27. The French anti-gang unit, known as the Brigade de Répression de Banditisme, led raids in the Île-de-France and Loire-Atlantiques regions. Officials think there might be ties between the group committing the attacks and a big criminal organization and that the group finds new recruits through social media sites.
As a result of these events, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau met with people from the cryptocurrency industry in mid-May to outline needed security actions. Due to rising threats to the digital asset community, the government is now paying special attention to their security.
