Critics slam ‘Mexicanisation’ of France after spate of crypto kidnappings

An attempted kidnapping this week of the daughter of a cryptocurrency platform boss in Paris, which was caught on video, has sparked calls to bolster security. It was the third such violent incident in France this year, prompting fears of a rise in crypto kidnappings.
The chilling video clip of an attempted kidnapping – in broad daylight, in the heart of Paris – has sparked urgent calls for increased security following recent kidnappings in France of individuals holding crypto-assets.
The calls came after footage of a botched kidnapping on a quiet street in Paris’s 11th arrondissement (district) was posted online Tuesday.
The footage showed three masked men wrestling with a couple on a Parisian sidewalk as the man hoarsely screams, “au secours”, help in French. The man’s cries are immediately heard, with residents and passers-by yelling as the couple vigorously resist attempts by their attackers to drag them into a getaway van parked right by the scene.
A man from a nearby shop then rushes out to help, brandishing a fire extinguisher. As pandemonium ensues, the attackers abandon their attempt to abduct the woman, and flee into the getaway van. As the vehicle departs, the plucky man with the fire extinguisher flings the red can in his hand at the van.
Police later recovered the abandoned van, which contained a BB gun. An investigation and a search for the perpetrators has been launched.