Overview

• Twenty-five suspects aged 16 to 23 were formally presented to judges on charges of conspiracy and organized attempted kidnapping.
• Eighteen defendants remain in provisional detention, three have deferred hearings, and four are under judicial supervision.
• The case covers the May 12 foiled attempt and the May 13 street abduction bid targeting the Paymium CEO’s daughter and grandson in Paris, alongside an earlier plot near Nantes.
• Investigators say young recruits were drawn in through social media to carry out abductions aimed at seizing cryptocurrency assets for ransom.
• Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau convened industry and law enforcement in mid-May to strengthen security protocols for the crypto sector.