French Interior Minister Holds Emergency Meeting to Address Spate of Crypto Kidnappings

Bruno Retailleau, France’s interior minister, called an emergency meeting with crypto executives to assure the industry of government support after a spate of kidnappings and violence directed towards families of crypto investors. Retailleau listed various ways the government would respond, so that investors in France could feel safe without being targeted by criminals. The list includes checkups by police officers at the homes of crypto investors, special briefings for family members of crypto holders by police tactical units, and a special phone number for crypto investors to ring when they feel unsafe. Retailleau said that the government will stop these violent acts, as it would have stopped jewellery or bank thefts many years ago. Crypto investors will now have extra security after the sector was rocked by horrific scenes of criminals targeting family members of wealthy crypto holders. The French government will provide numerous new protections so crypto investors can feel safe. The blockchain industry brings wealth and jobs to the French nation. French authorities are concerned that entrepreneurs may choose to leave the country if they can’t operate their businesses without fearing for their lives. The French government will bring in a variety of measures to counter the growing threat of violence against crypto investors. Retailleau, moreover, will introduce measures straight away to prevent the situation from becoming worse. Retailleau said that short- and long-term measures will be introduced to stop repeat attacks. Law enforcement will further be trained in a new “anti crypto asset laundering” program, encompassing the growing threat of crypto kidnappings. Masked men could be seen dragging the daughter of a crypto entrepreneur into a van on Tuesday. The woman’s father is Pierre Noizat, CEO and founder of Bitcoin exchange Paymium. The woman evaded their advances and held onto her husband while yelling for assistance. A witness nearby filmed the surreal event. A shopkeeper could then be seen running after the attackers with a red fire extinguisher, scaring the kidnappers away and even throwing the fire extinguisher at their car as the attackers scampered back inside their van. Pierre Noizat spoke with journalists about the incident, saying that his son-in-law had sustained serious injuries that required stitches. Noizat criticised the government for not doing enough to protect crypto investors. He further lamented that other crypto investors will suffer similar experiences if the government doesn’t do something to prevent the violence from spreading. The kidnapping occurred in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. The woman was accompanied by her husband and their child. The attack happened in the morning within an affluent community. Noizat praised his son-in-law for protecting his daughter and also the shopkeeper for heroically chasing away the kidnappers with a fire extinguisher. The kidnappers beat the husband with a blunt object. They were most likely trying to sever ties between the woman and man so that they could kidnap the daughter and extort her father for cryptocurrency. However, the husband fought back and sustained injuries during the process. Both the woman and her child also suffered injuries during the struggle and had to be taken to the hospital after the incident. Noizat was very impressed with the onlookers who intervened even though their lives were possibly in danger. Noizat thanked the shopkeeper who wielded a fire extinguisher, saying his actions were courageous. On May 3, a wealthy crypto holder was released from the trunk of a car after being tortured and doused with gasoline. He was kidnapped in the 14th arrondissement in Paris at 10:30 am. Four kidnappers took him to Essonne, 20 km from Paris, where they cut off his finger so that his family would pay the $4 million ransom. The kidnappings seem to have a similar pattern and could be connected. French authorities have vowed to do something about the spate of abductions because the situation is escalating rapidly.

Source: ZyCrypto