Latest news with #DavidBalland
Roya News
3 days ago
- Roya News
France sees wave of kidnappings targeting crypto families
French police have arrested 24 individuals linked to a recent string of attempted kidnappings targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and their families, amid growing alarm over the security risks faced by high-profile figures in the digital asset world. The arrests follow a series of violent plots that spanned several regions of France, including a thwarted abduction attempt in Nantes and a dramatic episode in Paris involving relatives of a prominent crypto executive. Among the most alarming incidents was the attempted kidnapping of a woman and child on 13 May in Paris, believed to be the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, co-founder of the Bitcoin exchange platform Paymium. French media report that a masked gang tried to seize the pair, but the plan ultimately failed. Just weeks earlier, on May 1, another harrowing case made headlines when the father of a cryptocurrency millionaire was abducted by armed men in balaclavas and forced into a van in the capital. His captors reportedly demanded a ransom of 5–7 million euros (USD 5.6-8 million). Days later, police rescued the man from a home south of Paris. He had suffered the traumatic loss of a finger during his ordeal. Authorities say they also intercepted a separate kidnapping attempt targeting a crypto-linked individual in the Nantes region earlier this week. Acting swiftly, officers were able to disrupt the plot before it was carried out. These cases add to an increasingly disturbing trend, including the January abduction of David Balland, co-founder of the crypto hardware firm Ledger. Balland and his wife were kidnapped from their home in central France. Like the other victims, he was also mutilated during captivity, reportedly losing a finger. The perpetrators demanded 10 million euros (USD 11 million) in ransom. Police later arrested six men and one woman in connection with the case. The rise in targeted attacks has prompted urgent action from the French government. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau held an emergency meeting with cryptocurrency industry leaders in mid-May, pledging full state support to combat the threat.
Roya News
14-05-2025
- Roya News
Crypto CEO's family targeted in violent kidnapping attempt in Paris
A woman and her child, both related to a prominent French cryptocurrency executive, narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt in Paris on Tuesday, in what police are calling the latest in a string of violent incidents targeting figures in the digital finance world. According to police sources, four masked men ambushed the woman, her partner, and their child in the 11th arrondissement (administrative district) of Paris. The attackers, armed and reportedly intent on abducting the woman and her child, tried to force them into a van. When the woman's partner intervened, he was beaten by the assailants. All three victims sustained minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital. In a dramatic moment captured on surveillance video, one of the masked attackers was disarmed by the woman, who managed to grab his handgun and throw it away. The group's screams reportedly alerted bystanders, prompting the attackers to flee. The van used in the attempted abduction was later recovered nearby by authorities. The woman involved is the daughter of the CEO and co-founder of Paymium, Pierre Noizat, a well-known French cryptocurrency exchange platform. This incident comes amid a rising tide of targeted violence against individuals connected to the crypto industry in France. In January, David Balland, co-founder of the Ledger crypto firm, and his partner were kidnapped. Balland endured severe torture during the ordeal, including the amputation of a finger, as kidnappers demanded a large cryptocurrency ransom. Prosecutors did not confirm whether the ransom was paid, but nine individuals, including the suspected ringleader, have since been arrested. In another alarming case in May, a father was abducted in a plot to extort a crypto ransom from his millionaire son. French police managed to free the hostage during a raid and arrested seven people in connection with the incident. These incidents are unfolding against a backdrop of escalating organized crime in France. Last year, gunmen wearing balaclavas ambushed a prison transport van and killed two guards while freeing a notorious drug lord, Mohamed Amra, also known as 'The Fly.' He was later recaptured and extradited from Romania. The wave of kidnappings has reignited concerns about the vulnerability of cryptocurrency holders to criminal activity. International regulatory bodies have repeatedly sounded the alarm about the use of digital currencies in illicit finance.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Daughter of crypto boss escapes Paris kidnap attempt in latest in series of attacks
Armed assailants tried to kidnap the daughter and grandson of a French cryptocurrency boss in Paris, police said, in a brazen daytime attack that was caught on camera. Tuesday morning's attack in Paris's 11th district is the latest in a string of violent incidents targeting figures in France's burgeoning crypto industry. Four masked men attacked the daughter, her partner and their child in the French capital, police sources told French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP). Video footage shows three masked men jump out of a white van. The woman and her partner fight the attackers and loud screams for help are heard. Speaking to BFMTV, one witness said the assailants tried to 'pull a young woman by force' into the waiting vehicle. The woman can be seen grabbing a gun off one of the masked men and throwing it into the street. The weapon, which was later recovered from the scene, turned out to be a fake, sources told BFMTV. The screams attract the attention of passersby, who intervene, one of them armed with a fire extinguisher. 'I saw passersby saying to stop. A man went out into the street with a fire extinguisher to try to make these people leave,' a witness told French broadcaster BFMTV. Eventually the assailants give up, the three men jump back into their van and the fourth suspect – the driver – makes a getaway. Another woman who witnessed the scene told BFMTV, 'I went out into the street and saw this man lying on the ground with a pistol next to him, quite bloody.' Once the attack was over, the victims were helped by people on the street. All three of them sustained light injuries and were treated in hospital, BFMTV reported. The woman, who according to the news outlet was five months pregnant, was treated for shock, while her partner's face was covered in blood. The woman in the footage is the daughter of the CEO and co-founder of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency exchange platform, according to AFP. No arrests have yet been made in relation to the incident, CNN understands. The Paris prosecutor's office told CNN that it has opened an investigation into offenses of attempted arrest, abduction, kidnapping or arbitrary detention committed by an organized gang, aggravated violence and participation in a criminal association. The attack on Tuesday follows the abductions of other cryptocurrency figures in France. In January, David Balland, a co-founder of French crypto firm Ledger, had his hand mutilated after he and his wife were kidnapped from their home in central France. They were freed after a police operation. Part of the ransom demanded by the kidnappers was paid, Reuters reported. France's Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, announced Wednesday he would hold a meeting with cryptocurrency entrepreneurs to discuss security in light of the spate of attacks, according to AFP.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Daughter of Crypto CEO Was Attacked in Paris
The daughter and grandson of a French cryptocurrency CEO were the victims of a shocking and brazen attack in Paris Tuesday. Video of the incident is circulating on social media. In the clip, masked and armed men can be seen jumping out of a vehicle and assaulting the woman and her young son while trying to force them into a van. The woman's partner attempted to interfere and was also beaten. The woman resisted the men, and according to local outlet France 24, was able to grab one of the assailants' handguns and toss it away. Her screams were heard by a passerby who intervened with a fire extinguisher as a weapon. The attackers eventually fled in the van. France 24 reports that the woman is the daughter of the CEO and co-founder of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency exchange platform. Today's attack is the latest in a reported string of crimes against French cryptocurrency traders. In January, French crypto boss David Balland and his partner were kidnapped, with Balland losing a finger, which kidnappers cut off. At least nine people were eventually detained for the crime, including the alleged mastermind. Additionally, earlier this month, criminals kidnapped a man in order to attempt to force his son, a cryptocurrency millionaire, to pay a large ransom. Police arrested seven people following a raid to free the man. As for Tuesday's event, Paris prosecutors told TMZ that authorities have "opened an investigation into the offenses of attempted arrest, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or arbitrary detention committed by an organized gang, aggravated violence by three circumstances for having been committed with a weapon, in a group, and by individuals concealing their faces, and participation in a criminal conspiracy for the purpose of preparing a crime."
CNA
14-05-2025
- CNA
Daughter, grandson of crypto boss escape abduction in Paris
PARIS: The daughter and grandson of a French cryptocurrency entrepreneur narrowly escaped a kidnap attempt by armed men in Paris on Tuesday (May 13) in the latest attack on a crypto trader in the French capital, police said. Four masked men attacked a couple and their child in the French capital's 11th district, police sources told AFP. All three suffered light injuries and were taken to hospital. According to video footage, three masked men jumped out of a van and tried to force the woman and her child into the vehicle, the sources said. They beat the woman's partner, who tried to intervene. The woman resisted, grabbing one of the attackers' handguns and throwing it away, police said, and the screams of the victims eventually attracted passers-by. The attackers fled in a van, which was found close by. The woman is the daughter of the CEO and co-founder of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency exchange platform. Tuesday's events follow the abduction in January of a French crypto boss, David Balland and his partner. Balland, co-founder of the Ledger crypto firm, had his finger cut off by the kidnappers. At least nine suspects have since been detained, including the alleged mastermind. In May, attackers kidnapped a man to force his crypto-millionaire son to pay a ransom. Police arrested seven people after a raid to free the man.
