25 suspects in crypto kidnapping plots to face judges in France
PARIS: Twenty-five people today were set to appear before French investigating judges as part of several probes into a spate of kidnapping plots targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, prosecutors said.
This week authorities said they had foiled a new abduction attempt in the western city of Nantes, and detained more than 20 people over that attempt and another against crypto boss Pierre Noizat's pregnant daughter and young grandson.
The judges will decide today whether to charge the suspects.
The 25 suspects are implicated in particular in the attack in mid-May on the family of Noizat, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency exchange platform.
They will also be questioned about their roles in "other unsuccessful projects," with a view to their possible indictment for criminal conspiracy, the Paris prosecutor's office said.
At least four are suspected of having plotted a kidnapping near Nantes on Monday, according to a source close to the case. The plan was foiled at the last minute.
The kidnappings and abduction attempts have become a major embarrassment for the French government and have sparked concern about the security of wealthy crypto tycoons, who have notched up immense fortunes from the booming business.
One prominent cryptocurrency entrepreneur has urged authorities to "stop the Mexicanisation of France".
According to footage that went viral on social media, four masked men attacked the daughter of Noizat as well as her husband and their child in the French capital's hip 11th district in mid-May. All three suffered light injuries and were taken to hospital.
Noizat later praised his "heroic" son-in-law and a man who used a red fire extinguisher against the attackers.
According to the source close to the case, it was while investigating the abduction attempt that targeted Noizat's family that the police discovered the new plot near Nantes.
In mid-May, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau held an emergency meeting with cryptocurrency leaders, with the ministry announcing plans to bolster their security.
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