Overview

• Three masked attackers attempted to abduct the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, CEO of French cryptocurrency exchange Paymium, in Paris’s 11th arrondissement on May 13.
• The assailants, armed with blunt objects and a fake handgun, were repelled after the child’s father intervened and passers-by joined the struggle, forcing the attackers to flee in a van later found abandoned nearby.
• All three victims sustained minor injuries and were treated at a hospital; police have launched an investigation led by the anti-banditry brigade (BRB).
• This incident follows two earlier crypto-related kidnappings in France this year, including cases involving the severing of victims’ fingers to extort cryptocurrency ransoms.
• French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has announced a security summit with cryptocurrency entrepreneurs to address the escalating threats and develop preventive measures.