By Elizabeth Howcroft
PARIS (Reuters) – French prosecutors are investigating after a masked gang attempted to kidnap the daughter of a crypto businessman in Paris in what is at least the third violent attack targeting wealthy crypto players and their families in recent months.
The shocking images of the attack, which was filmed by an onlooker, have stoked a perception that crime is increasingly out of control in France, which is grappling with a rise in drug crime and a recent wave of prison attacks.
The brazen kidnapping attempt took place on Tuesday morning on a busy Paris street. Video widely shared on social media showed three masked men wrestling with two people on the ground as a getaway van idled next to them. After failing to snatch the woman during an extended physical struggle, the attackers eventually gave up and drove off.
The kidnapping target was identified in local media reports as the 34-year-old daughter of the CEO of a platform for buying cryptocurrencies, who was with her partner at the time. Reuters was unable to independently verify the victims’ identity.
The Paris prosecutors’ office did not comment on the victims’ identity. The office said it had opened a probe into the attempted kidnapping that would be conducted by an organised crime unit of the Paris police. It also criticised the sharing of the video, saying it compounded the victims’ suffering.
Kidnapping gangs appear to have identified wealthy French crypto players as easy targets.
On May 1, the father of a French crypto player was kidnapped for ransom in Paris and was rescued by police days later, missing a finger.
In January, one of the co-founders of Ledger, a French crypto company, was also kidnapped for ransom along with his wife. He also lost a finger before being rescued.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Wednesday he would meet with French crypto entrepreneurs to make them aware of the risks and to take measures to protect them.
President Emmanuel Macron was due to visit two jails in northern France on Wednesday as part of a commitment to tackle rising organised crime, which has boosted support for the far-right.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft, additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Gareth Jones)
