PARIS — A group of leading French cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and their families will receive enhanced security following two successful kidnappings and one abduction attempt involving industry leaders and their loved ones.
The measures include priority access to the police emergency line, home visits and safety briefings from law enforcement to advise on best practices, the French interior ministry said. Law enforcement officers will also undergo “anti-crypto asset laundering training.”
“These repeated kidnappings of professionals in the crypto sector will be fought with specific tools, both immediate and short-term, to prevent, dissuade and hinder in order to protect the industry,” Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in a statement Friday.
Retailleau met with leaders from the French crypto sector Friday morning following the trio of violent incidents. The most recent one took place on Tuesday, when four people attempted to abduct the daughter of the CEO of French cryptocurrency platform Paymium and her son off the street in broad daylight. Earlier this year, Ledger cofounder David Balland was abducted and the father of another crypto entrepreneur was kidnapped at the start of this month.
The investigations are being led by France’s organized crime prosecutor, and several arrests have already been made. Retailleau said earlier this week that he believed the incidents were likely connected.
However, Pierre Noizat, the CEO of Paymium, told French broadcaster BFMTV ahead of Friday’s meeting that he viewed the gathering as a “communications operation.”
The post French crypto entrepreneurs promised extra security after violent kidnapping attempts appeared first on Politico.
