Suspected serial kidnapper of crypto entrepreneurs arrested in Morocco

France has been rocked by a series of crypto industry-related violent kidnappings this year. Now, the Moroccan police have arrested a man suspected of organizing these crimes.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed the arrest, thanking Morocco for "the excellent judicial cooperation between our two countries."

Moroccan news agency Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP) said that the suspect, 24-year-old Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, was arrested in Tangier during a joint operation led by Morocco’s National Judicial Police Brigade and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance.

Bajjou was wanted by Interpol, which issued the so-called Red Notice, stating that the French citizen is suspected of extortion by an organized group, abduction, aggravated violence with two aggravating circumstances resulting in more than eight days of incapacity, extortion by an organized group committed with a weapon, and money laundering.

Meanwhile, Le Parisien reported that the man is also suspected of being behind the high-profile kidnapping of the co-founder of French crypto hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger, David Balland, and his partner. Balland was tortured and lost a finger, as the kidnappers sought a multimillion-euro ransom.

Overall, last week alone, French police charged 25 people over crypto-related kidnappings. Six minors are among the suspects.

According to a public database of physical attacks on crypto industry players and users, out of 29 registered incidents, 7 occurred in France, with the latest recorded at the end of last month.

Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil, and Hong Kong saw at least two cases each. At least three incidents happened in the US and South Korea, while Lagos, Spain, Vietnam, Pakistan, the UK, Paraguay, Uganda, and Argentina registered at least one case each this year.