Latest news with #Nantes
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
France charges 25 suspects in cryptocurrency abduction cases
Twenty-five people, including six minors, were charged in Paris over a spate of kidnappings and attempted abductions of top figures in France's cryptocurrency world, prosecutors said on Saturday. 'Eighteen people have been placed in pre-trial detention, three have requested a deferred hearing, and four have been placed under judicial supervision,' the Paris public prosecutor's office said, adding that the suspects were aged between 16 and 23. The investigation into 'attempted kidnapping by an organised gang' centres on a 13 May kidnapping attempt targeting the daughter and grandson of the chief executive officer of the crypto firm Paymium, carried out in broad daylight in eastern Paris. Prosecutors said the investigation also covered 'other unsuccessful plans', including an initial failed attempt on the same targets the day before, and a disrupted operation near the western city of Nantes on Monday. Authorities said this week they had thwarted the Nantes abduction and detained more than 20 suspects in connection with that plot and the one targeting the family of the Paymium boss, Pierre Noizat. Footage of that attempted abduction shared on social media showed four masked men attacking Noizat's daughter, her husband and their child in the French capital's 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 fire extinguisher to fend off the attackers. According to a source close to the case, it was while investigating that abduction attempt that the police discovered the new plot near Nantes. Most of the suspects were born in France and others in Senegal, Angola and Russia. Among those arrested so far are suspects accused of involvement in carrying out the abductions and more senior figures believed to be involved in logistics, according to sources close to the case. Ambroise Vienet-Legue, who represents an 18-year-old suspect in the Nantes plot, described the accused as 'very young', lured by money and out of their depth. 'My client admitted to being a fuse in a criminal machine' and deeply regrets it, he said. Another lawyer welcomed the court's recognition of the defendants' age – some are as young as 16 – noting that judges had considered the protections granted to minors. Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion 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 alternative currency business. The spate of abductions began in January, when kidnappers seized the French crypto boss David Balland and his partner. Balland co-founded the crypto firm Ledger, valued at the time at more than $1bn. Balland's kidnappers cut off his finger and demanded a hefty ransom. He was freed the next day, and his girlfriend was found tied up in the boot of a car outside Paris. In mid-May, the interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, held an emergency meeting with cryptocurrency leaders, with the ministry announcing plans to bolster their security.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Paris FC make Matthis Abline enquiry
Interest in FC Nantes' Matthis Abline (22) is growing. The former Stade Rennais forward is the subject of an enquiry from Paris FC, understands. Abline shone in a struggling Nantes side last season, netting on 11 occasions and forging a good understanding with striker partner Moses Simon. It was this binome that kept Les Canaris in Ligue 1, however, it could be disassembled this summer. As reported by L'Équipe, RC Strasbourg retain their long-standing interest in the Nantes forward. It remains to be seen whether they will make a move, given that they look likely to retain Emanuel Emegha for a further season. Paris FC, who are moneyed and have also now secured promotion to Ligue 1, have now entered the race, as per Foot Mercato. The Parisian club have recently made an enquiry. Meanwhile, there is also interest from Lille OSC to contend with. Les Dogues will compete in the UEFA Europa League next season. GFFN | Luke Entwistle
Al Arabiya
7 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
France foils new crypto kidnapping plot, arrests over 20: Source
France has foiled the latest in a spate of kidnapping plots targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and detained more than 20 people over that attempt and another against crypto boss Pierre Noizat's family, a police source said Tuesday. The new kidnapping attempt, near the western city of Nantes, was foiled on Monday before it was carried out, the police source said, without providing further details. It came after a series of attempted abductions targeting cryptocurrency traders and their families, prompting one prominent crypto entrepreneur to call on authorities to 'stop the Mexicanization of France.' Authorities on Monday and Tuesday arrested 24 people as part of a probe into the Nantes abduction attempt, as well as an investigation into the attempted kidnapping in mid-May of Noizat's pregnant daughter and young grandson. Noizat is the CEO and co-founder of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency exchange platform. 'The entire commando unit was arrested,' said the police source, referring to the attack on Noizat's family. The public prosecutor's office said it would issue a statement at a later date, probably on Friday. In an interview with BFM television, Noizat has praised his 'heroic' son-in-law and a neighbour armed with a fire extinguisher, who thwarted the attempted kidnapping in broad daylight in the heart of Paris. The kidnappings have raised concerns about the security of wealthy crypto tycoons, who have notched up immense fortunes from the booming business. 'Rise in kidnappings' French authorities have also been investigating the May 1 abduction of a crypto-millionaire's father who was later rescued by police. The victim, for whom a ransom of several million euros was demanded, was freed after being held for more than two days, in a raid on a house outside Paris. Six people have been charged in connection with that kidnapping. Five of them -- aged 18 to 26 -- were being prosecuted for organised extortion, kidnapping and false imprisonment involving torture or acts of barbarity by an organised gang, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in early May. On January 21, kidnappers seized French crypto boss David Balland and his partner. Balland co-founded the crypto firm Ledger, valued at the time at more than $1 billion. Balland's finger was cut off by his kidnappers, who had demanded a hefty ransom. He was freed the next day, and his girlfriend was found tied up in the boot of a car outside Paris. At least nine suspects have been charged in that case, including the alleged mastermind. Ledger co-founder Eric Larcheveque, who received a ransom demand when Balland was kidnapped, urged authorities to 'stop the Mexicanisation of France.' Mexico has been plagued by drug-linked murders and disappearances for decades. 'For several months now, there has been a rise in sordid kidnappings and attempted kidnappings. In broad daylight. In the heart of Paris,' Larcheveque said on X. 'Today, to succeed in France, whether in crypto-assets or elsewhere, is to put a target on your back.' In mid-May, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau held an emergency meeting with crypto currency leaders, with the ministry announcing plans to bolster their security.
New European
7 days ago
- New European
Dilettante: When is it the right time to leave home?
They were about as pleased with the choice as you'd imagine. Still, teenagers can sometimes be unstoppable forces, and I wasn't to be messed with when I'd made up my mind. After a number of pleas, arguments and fruitless searches for a plan B, they let me do what I wanted to do. They let me leave Nantes, at 17 and three quarters, and move to London to start a degree in journalism. It was, in retrospect, completely mad. I still can't believe they let me get away with it. In fairness to them, I didn't really give them a choice: at the age of 17, I went to my parents and informed them that I had applied to several universities in Britain and none in France. If they wanted me to continue studying, they would have to let me cross the Channel a few months later. If they didn't: to McDonald's I'd go. I'm glad I won, obviously, but can now see why my parents struggled to let me go. I wasn't even 18 yet! It was an entirely different country, with a different language! I didn't know anyone there! I did become a legal adult within months of moving but, really, it took several more years for me to stop being a chaotic child. For quite a long while, I ended up acting like one of those kittens or puppies that got separated from their mother too early, and doesn't know how to behave as a result. I was still a very rough first draft by the time I left home, and there are so many ways in which things could have gone wrong. The fact that I'm writing this today means that they didn't, thankfully. If anything, I feel lucky and pleased that I got to build a life for myself from scratch, at such a young age. I behaved like a complete idiot for what felt like decades but, at the end of the day, I'd mostly calmed down before I'd even reached my mid-twenties. My friends and peers were still partying till the small hours and consuming all sorts of not-so-legal substances, but I'd already packed all that in. I started early then got out early. I can still feel the ripples from my decision today: I may only be in my early thirties now but already feel that I've lived a lot, and have no great regrets when it comes to my misspent youth. I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt, thank you very much. Suggested Reading Have I become British? Marie Le Conte It's also what worries me about all these kids staying at home for longer and longer. A recent study showed that, as of 2024, 30% of British 18-year-olds were planning to stay at home during their studies, up from 21% in 2015. For the avoidance of doubt, I don't blame them, or at least don't blame them all. I'm sure many of them would rather fly the coop and spend three years in increasingly messy houseshares, but the cost of both housing and life in general is preventing them from doing so. Still, the results are the same. Instead of moving out as a teenager, a lot of today's youths will be celebrating their entry into the roaring twenties while still living with mum and/or dad. Hell, they may even decide to stay for a little while after graduation, as finding a job doesn't always happen immediately, and it's nice not to have to pay council tax. Twenty-one may turn into 22, then 23, 24 and… well, instinctively I just feel sorry for them. So much happened to me in those years: I did so much growing up, and learned the hard way that, when it comes to building the person you're meant to become, there are no shortcuts. What would have happened to me if I'd just stayed home for all those years? I doubt I'd be the same, and I doubt my life would have been as successful. Then again, perhaps I missed out on some things. I am, at time of writing, about to head to Rome for my mother's 60th birthday. I am looking forward to it, but still quite apprehensive; we've rarely spent extended periods of time together as adults. I'm sure it'll go well, but that relationship, alongside the one I have with my father, feels like something we've all had to work on, nearly from scratch. They didn't get to watch me finish growing up, and so we've had to rebuild our foundations bit by bit. Would things have been different if I'd spent more time at home? Almost certainly. I have friends who stayed hidden in the nest for longer than I did, and they seem closer to their parents than I am to mine. There isn't much I can do about the past, though, but that's why this holiday, and others like it, matter so much to me. It's never too late to mend the ties you once severed, because all you wanted was to feel free.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
More than a dozen arrests over French cryptocurrency kidnapping plots
French police have arrested more than 20 people following a number of kidnapping plots targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and their said the arrests were in connection with investigations into a recent abduction attempt in Nantes and the attempted kidnapping of a woman and child in Paris in May. The incidents have raised concerns about the safety of those with cryptocurrency fortunes which could make them a target for criminals seeking ransom this month French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau vowed to bolster security around the country's crypto executives and their families. A total of 24 people have been taken into custody, according to French news outlet arrests were connected to an unsuccessful attempt by a masked gang to abduct the daughter and young grandson of a cryptocurrency chief in Paris on 13 pair were described by French media as relatives of Pierre Noizat, the co-founder of French Bitcoin exchange platform were also made over a kidnapping attempt against a person with ties to the crypto sector which was foiled by police in the Nantes region of western France on Monday, local media outlets intervened before the attack was carried out, police sources incidents of kidnappings or attempted kidnappings have taken place across the country in recent months, including the case of the father of a cryptocurrency millionaire who was bundled into a van by men in balaclavas in Paris on 1 May. Le Parisien newspaper said his kidnappers demanded his wealthy son pay a 5-7m euro ransom (£4.2-5.9m).The victim had one finger missing when he was rescued by police days later in a house in Palaiseau, south of Paris, according to French incidents follow the kidnapping of David Balland, co-founder of the cryptocurrency firm Ledger, who was abducted with his wife at their home in central France in pair were rescued by police within days and Mr Balland also had a finger cut off, French media reported. The criminals had demanded a 10m euro ransom (£8.5m). Six men and a woman were previously arrested in connection with that response to the spate of attacks against those with links to the cryptocurrency sector, Retailleau held an emergency meeting with industry leaders in the meeting, he promised the "entire state apparatus" was "fully mobilised to track down the perpetrators and instigators of this violence and put them out of action", according to French media reports.
