Owning Bitcoin in France is becoming a physical security risk. Three people have been charged following a coordinated series of violent attacks targeting suspected cryptocurrency holders near Paris, and the cases are part of a pattern that has been intensifying across the country since early 2025.
What Happened
According to reports, on March 10, two masked men carrying small explosives attempted to force their way into a home in Essonne. The target was a suspected crypto holder.
Thirty minutes later, a second crew held an entire family hostage and stole jewellery. Prosecutors confirmed both attacks were coordinated and both targets were chosen specifically for their alleged cryptocurrency holdings.
Six hours later, gendarmes (police officers) intercepted the suspects’ vehicle in Bourgoin-Jallieu. Inside: the stolen jewellery and three occupants, a 35-year-old man and two teenagers aged 15 and 17. The operation required two helicopters and roughly one hundred gendarmes mobilised across multiple regions.
All three were charged with kidnapping, extortion, destruction of property using dangerous means, and participation in a criminal organisation preparing an aggravated crime. Two were placed in pretrial detention immediately.
The 900,000 Euro Bitcoin Transfer
The charges came days after a separate and chilling incident in Le Chesnay, Yvelines, where a couple in their fifties were held hostage inside their own home and forced at gunpoint to transfer 900,000 euros worth of Bitcoin directly to their attackers before managing to escape.
The transfer was irreversible. That detail makes crypto-targeted attacks uniquely dangerous compared to conventional robbery. There is no bank to call. No transaction to reverse. No fraud department to dispute the charge with.
A Growing Threat Across France
These are not isolated incidents. Crypto-targeted kidnappings, home invasions, and forced transfers have multiplied across France since the beginning of 2025, rising directly in line with growing public awareness of cryptocurrency ownership and climbing Bitcoin valuations.
According to reports, more than 40 cryptocurrency-related kidnappings occurred in France between July 2023 and the end of 2025, with evidence pointing to overseas organisers coordinating the crimes through local recruiters.
Related: Former LAPD Officer Guilty of Kidnapping in $350,000 Bitcoin Heist
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