فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Moroccan authorities, in coordination with the French judiciary, have arrested Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, a 24-year-old Franco-Moroccan suspected of masterminding a series of kidnappings linked to the cryptocurrency sector in France.
French Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin expressed his sincere gratitude to Morocco on Wednesday for the arrest, highlighting the excellent judicial cooperation between the two countries, particularly in combating organized crime.
Bajjou was wanted by French justice and was the subject of an Interpol red notice, charged with “arrest, kidnapping, arbitrary detention of hostages to enforce orders or conditions, committed by an organized gang.”
The suspect was apprehended in the northern Moroccan city of Tangier, according to a statement from Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security, which also confirmed his identity.
This arrest comes amid a surge in kidnappings and attempted abductions in France’s cryptocurrency sector since January, prompting heightened vigilance among professionals and law enforcement.
Born in Le Chesnay, a suburb of Paris, Bajjou is suspected, according to French daily Le Parisien which first reported his arrest, of being one of the masterminds behind the kidnapping of David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, a company specializing in crypto assets—a case that received widespread media attention.
Balland was held hostage with his partner at the end of January; he suffered a severed finger and was later freed by security forces, while his partner was found tied up in a vehicle. At least nine suspects have been charged in connection with this case.
On May 25, 25 youths aged 16 to 23 were indicted on suspicions of attempted or planned kidnappings in Paris and near Nantes.
Le Parisien also reports that Bajjou was wanted for orchestrating from Morocco an assault on a 56-year-old woman in the Paris region in 2023, aimed at forcing her son to pay a ransom in cryptocurrency for her release.
This case underscores the security challenges France faces in the cryptocurrency sector and highlights the importance of international cooperation between Morocco and France in combating cross-border organized crime.
