[kellyhound]

In recent months, a spate of kidnappings and kidnapping attempts have targeted leading figures in the cryptocurrency sector.

A woman said to be the daughter of a French cryptocurrency boss narrowly avoided being kidnapped in Paris on Tuesday morning.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, the woman, who was out walking with her partner and their young child, was attacked at just after 8am on a street in Paris' 11th arrondissement.

The French media said her partner managed to fend off the masked assailants who were trying to force the woman into a white van.

Video of the attack also showed passers-by helping the couple.

One of them picked up a gun belonging to an assailant which had fallen to the ground and pointed it back at them, while another threw a red fire extinguisher in the direction of the masked men.

After failing in their kidnapping attempt, the attackers then drove away.

In recent months, across France and Europe a growing number cryptocurrency bosses and their families have been kidnapped or have escaped kidnapping attempts.

In early May, the father of a cryptocurrency boss spent three days in captivity, after he was kidnapped while walking his dog in Paris' 14th arrondissement.

His kidnappers demanded a multi-million euro ransom in exchange for his release, sending a video of his mutilated finger to his son, according to French broadcaster Franceinfo.

Meanwhile, in January, David Balland, the 36-year-old co-founder of French crypto company Ledger, and his partner were kidnapped from their home in the small commune of Méreau, which is located in central-northern France.

Ledger co-founder Eric Larchevêque sounded the alarm after he received a video of Balland's severed finger, accompanied by a cryptocurrency ransom demand.

Cryptocurrency figures and their relatives have also reportedly faced recent kidnapping attempts in Spain and Belgium.

[WonderMomma]

Alternate angle of the incident. Her partner's head is covered with blood. The man who came after them with a fire extinguisher was a shop owner, now hailed a hero.

Apparently, they also tried kidnapping her young son:

The attempted kidnapping in Paris on May 13, 2025, targeted the daughter and young grandson of Pierre Noizat, co-founder and CEO of the French cryptocurrency exchange platform Paymium. The assailants, three masked men, attempted to force the woman and her child into a van in broad daylight. However, the child's father intervened, and a local bicycle shop owner named Nabil courageously used a fire extinguisher to help thwart the attack, causing the assailants to flee.

This incident is part of a troubling trend of kidnappings involving cryptocurrency figures in France. Earlier in January, David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, and his partner were kidnapped and tortured, with a ransom demand of €10 million. In early May, another crypto businessman's father was abducted with similar ransom tactics, including mutilation, before being rescued by police. Authorities have arrested several suspects across these incidents. The rise in targeted attacks on crypto entrepreneurs in France and Europe underscores growing security concerns in the digital asset sector.

Pierre Noizat: