The French’s elite police unit, Ground Forces of National Security (GIGN), recently rescued a young Swiss national held hostage for a cryptocurrency ransom. The successful raid, conducted in the city of Valence, led to the liberation of the victim and the arrest of seven suspects who are now facing kidnapping charges.

According to a report, the operation, which took place on Aug. 31, unfolded after the GIGN unit supported by officers from the Grenoble research section. The victim had been kidnapped in Valence and held for several days. Law enforcement acted after receiving a tip-off on Aug. 30 that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom in cryptocurrency. The young man was found tied up in a house near the Valence-TGV station.

The Lyon prosecutor’s office confirmed the details, stating that the investigation involved close to 150 members of the national gendarmerie’s judicial police and GIGN. This large-scale effort led to the swift identification and arrest of suspects.

A prosecutor’s office statement detailed the operation, which was authorized by the Lyon Inter-Regional Specialized Jurisdiction (JIRS). The raid led to the arrest of the primary suspect and two other individuals, with four additional suspects arrested as investigators located the victim.

The seven individuals were brought before an investigating judge to face charges that include kidnapping and arbitrary detention of a hostage to obtain a ransom. They also extortion by an organized gang with a weapon and participation in a criminal conspiracy.

This latest kidnap attempt continues a troubling trend of kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting individuals in the cryptocurrency world that rocked France at the start of the year. In response to a string of violent incidents—which have included the kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland and an attempted abduction of the Paymium CEO’s family—the French government took proactive steps to protect crypto entrepreneurs.

These include providing crypto professionals with priority access to police emergency lines as well as offering home security assessments and safety briefings by law enforcement. The government also implemented specialized training for officers focused on anti-money laundering and tackling crypto-related crime.

免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。