Police Nab Alleged Mastermind Behind French Crypto Kidnappings

A 24-year old French-Moroccan national alleged to be the mastermind of the recent spate of crypto-related kidnappings in France was arrested by police in Morocco, according to a report by Le Parisien. Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, who is subject to an Interpol Red Notice, is suspected to be one of the leaders of the crypto kidnapping schemes, including that of Ledger co-founder David Balland in January.

“I sincerely thank Morocco for this arrest, which demonstrates the excellent judicial cooperation between our two countries, particularly against organized crime,” said French Justice Minister Gérard Darmanin in a post translated on X that highlighted the Le Parisien report. Wanted by Interpol for organized extortion and kidnapping, among other charges, Bajjou joins 12 others that were arrested by French police for their role in May plots, one of which occurred in broad daylight when four individuals targeted the pregnant daughter of French crypto exchange Paymium’s CEO and co-founder, Pierre Noizat, and her family.

Days after those arrests, a total of 25 suspects were charged by French police in connection to the attempted kidnapping of Noizat’s daughter, according to a report from Le Monde. The majority of the suspects were aged between 16-23 years old, according to the report. Although Bajjou is suspected to have played a key role, Le Parisien reports that another French-Moroccon national identified via crypto transfer analysis is “believed to be pulling the strings.”

While the kidnappings in France have been among the most jarring to date, “wrench attacks”—or physical attacks against crypto holders—are taking place worldwide, including at least two reported in the last few weeks in Uganda and the United States. A database of attacks—of which many go unreported—maintained by Jameson Lopp, co-founder of Bitcoin security company Casa, details 29 reported attacks in 2025 thus far. By comparison, only 34 attacks were recorded in all of 2024.

Terron Gold