The suspected mastermind behind a spate of crypto-related kidnappings in France, together with the mutilation of Ledger CEO David Balland, was arrested in Morocco yesterday, French authorities have revealed.
As reported by Le Parisien, 24-year-old Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, who was below an Interpol purple discover, was arrested on costs of organized extortion and kidnapping.
The twin French/Moroccan citizen is believed to have orchestrated a number of violent crypto-related kidnappings in France whereas residing in Morocco, along with his first alleged extortion courting again to 2023.
His suspected felony exercise contains the kidnapping of crypto pockets co-founder David Balland, who had a finger chopped off by attackers who hoped to make his son pay a hefty crypto ransom.
🇫🇷🇲🇦 Je remercie sincèrement le Maroc pour cette arrestation qui montre l’excellente coopération judiciaire entre nos deux pays, en particulier contre la criminalité organisée. https://t.co/2nLxfKVHmU
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) June 4, 2025
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin thanked Morocco for arresting Bajjou.
As well as, authorities are reportedly investigating his potential involvement within the kidnapping of a crypto CEO’s daughter and grandson final Might, which was filmed by onlookers within the streets of Paris.
France charged 25 folks, together with minors, in relation to the latest spate of crypto kidnappings. Alongside Bajjou, there’s reportedly one other ringleader in his forties who allegedly used social media to recruit younger “commandos” to hold out extortion operations.
Bajjou’s arrest displays a warming of worldwide relations between France and Morocco, the place Reuters reviews Bajjou will probably be tried below French costs.
In response to the kidnappings, France’s Inside Minister promised crypto entrepreneurs a sequence of safety assurances, together with entry to a precedence police line.
