The Moroccan authorities have arrested a man who may be the mastermind behind a series of kidnappings in the French crypto world. Several French crypto entrepreneurs and their relatives were recently kidnapped and mutilated.
The suspect is a 24-year-old man who was wanted by the French authorities and the international police organization Interpol.
In a message on X, the French Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, thanks Morocco for “the cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the fight against organized crime.”
According to the Moroccan police, the suspect has both French and Moroccan nationality. He would not be extradited to France but will be tried in Morocco.
The arrest follows a series of kidnappings in France of crypto entrepreneurs and their relatives. In January, David Balland, the founder of the crypto company Ledger, was kidnapped along with his wife. They were later rescued, but the kidnappers had cut off a finger of Balland.
In early May, another man was rescued, the father of a crypto entrepreneur. He had been kidnapped a few weeks earlier. He was dragged into a van by men in balaclavas. He also was missing a finger upon his release. Millions in ransom were reportedly paid to get the man released.
In mid-May, two people managed to escape a kidnapping. According to French media, it concerned the daughter of an entrepreneur in cryptocurrency and the father of her child. Again, masked men tried to pull them into a van.