CNN
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Passersby helped to block attempts to lure the daughter and grandson of the French cryptocurrency boss in Paris.
The incident urged Paymium, a crypto company owned by the father of a targeted woman, and demanded “protection” from companies in the French cryptocurrency realm.
The Tuesday morning attacks in Paris’ 11th district are the latest in a string of violent incidents targeting figures in France’s burgeoning crypto industry, and at least five since 2023, including two attacks in recent months.
Four masked men attacked their daughter, her partner and her child in the French capital, police sources told French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In the video footage, three masked men jump out of a white van at Chrono Post delivery company branding. The woman and her partner fight the attacker and listen in loud screams. Speaking to BFMTV, one witness said he had “forcedly attempted to attract the young woman” to the car where the assailant was waiting.
The woman can be seen grabbing a gun from one of the masked men and throwing it into the street. The weapons recovered from the scene were later found to be fake, sources told BFMTV.
Screams attract passersby’s attention. Passersby intervenes, one of them armed with a fire extinguisher.
“I saw passersby saying it was going to stop. A man went out into the street with a fire extinguisher and tried to get these people to leave,” an eyewitness told French broadcaster BFMTV.
Eventually the attackers give up, and the three men return to their van, where the fourth suspect, the driver – escapes.
Another woman who witnessed the scene told BFMTV:
Once the attack was over, the victims were saved by people on the streets. All three of them suffered minor injuries and were treated in hospital, BFMTV reported. According to the news outlet, the woman, who was five months pregnant, received treatment for shock, but her partner’s face was covered in blood.
According to AFP, the woman in the footage is the daughter of the CEO and co-founder of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency exchange platform.
French Home Minister Bruno Letterou announced Wednesday that he would hold a meeting with cryptocurrency entrepreneurs to discuss security to hold a meeting with cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, according to AFP.
Following the attack, Paymium issued a statement calling for authorities to “immediately adopt measures to enhance protections for corporate collaborators in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.” The company thanked Retailleau for agreeing to meet with Paymium to “discuss further on all these issues.”
The company also said Tuesday’s attack was “very sad” and expanded its support for the victims’ families.
No arrests have been made in connection with the incident, CNN understands. The Paris prosecutor’s office told CNN it has launched an investigation into attempted arrest, aiding, lure, or arbitrary intentional detention and violations of participation in a crime association committed by an organized gang.
Chronopost said he believed that the van involved in the lure attempt was not from the company, but an attempt to mimic its branding. “We note that there is no vehicle theft within our fleet and are given unacceptable markings on images of vehicles used suggest that we are dealing with impersonation of our brand at this stage,” the company wrote in X.
Tuesday’s attack follows the adduction of figures from other French cryptocurrency.
On May 1, the father of a cryptocurrency entrepreneur was invited to the 14th district of Paris and held for ransom. Police officers released the victim who lost his finger on May 3rd two days later. The next day, five suspects were arrested in or near the home where the victim was detained. Two of them were later cleared.
In January, David Balland, co-founder of French crypto company Ledger, cut off his hands after he and his wife were lured from their home in central France. They were released after a police operation. It was paid part of the 10 million euros ($11.2 million) ransom of cryptocurrency requested by the temptation, but “almost all of the cryptocurrency was tracked, frozen and seized,” BMFTV reported, citing the prosecutor.
