There have been several high-profile kidnappings of crypto executives or their relatives in France, showing there is now a pattern of organized criminals targeting those thought to possess cryptocurrencies. While other countries have had similar incidents, for now France appears to have taken the lead in some of the boldest attacks. Recently, two relatives (a mother and child) of a crypto exchange CEO endured a bold kidnapping attempt in broad daylight in Paris.

So what can France and other countries do to stem the tide of such attacks? If this is not brought under control, this potentially may drive away everyday people who will have to fear a kidnapping attempt if they hold Bitcoin. These attacks should thus be understood as terrorism being committed against bitcoiners and their families.

It seems to me that France and other countries must drastically increase the penalties for such kidnappers - organized crime must understand that the potential payoff will be met with lifetime imprisonment if caught. France and other countries should work to counter these groups with better intelligence. Unless more resources are pooled to protect crypto investors, and harsher penalties issues to these criminals, we will continue to see this problem grow, with negative effects for the economy of France and other countries.

This is terrorism. These people should be considered terrorists. They should be dealt with as such, and not as ordinary criminals.

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250514-france-summons-cryptocurrency-businesses-after-kidnappings