Overview

• The victim, a Swiss man in his twenties, was freed Sunday in Valence and was reportedly found bound in a home near the city’s TGV station.
• About 150 gendarmerie personnel, including units from the UNPJ, the Grenoble investigations section and the GIGN, took part in the operation.
• Seven suspects are in custody Thursday and are to be presented to the specialized JIRS court in Lyon.
• The GIGN also intervened this week in a Valence snack-bar identified as a passage point for the group, with the manager described as uninvolved.
• Investigators believe the kidnapping is linked to cryptocurrencies, echoing several recent French cases that have led to arrests and indictments.