[Bastille]

Just saw that on the french news, maybe as the company is french as well as the co-fonder named David Balland

The only video I found so far in english is this one :


French video of the public prosectur of paris, I used the transcription, resumed and translated on ChatGPT :
Spoiler (Click to View)
Intervention on a Hostage Liberation Operation

I would like to commend the remarkable efforts of the Gendarmerie Nationale, including the research sections of Bourges, Orléans, and Paris, the National Cyber Unit, as well as the GIGN.

Initially led by the Bourges Public Prosecutor's Office, the investigation was taken over on January 22 by JUNCAL (National Jurisdiction for the Fight Against Organized Crime). Over the past 24 hours, the continued mobilization of investigators, the prosecutor’s office, and the Judge of Freedoms and Detention has enabled the deployment of multiple specialized investigation techniques.

Chronology of Events:

• January 21, early morning: A couple was kidnapped from their home in Vierzon. The victims were separated and taken to different locations.
  


• The kidnappers contacted one of the co-founders of Ledger to demand a ransom.
  


• Promptly alerted, the Gendarmerie deployed its forces. A first arrest allowed the identification of the location where one of the victims was held. The immediate intervention of the GIGN resulted in their liberation and the arrest of two suspects.
  

Status of the Victims:

• First victim: Hospitalized due to a mutilation to the hand.
  


• Second victim: Later freed, found tied up in a vehicle in Étampes, with no physical injuries but requiring psychological support.
  

Arrests and Seizures Overview:

• 10 suspects arrested (9 men and 1 woman, aged between 20 and 40, most of whom were already known to the justice system).
  


• Part of the ransom was paid in cryptocurrency, but nearly all of it was traced, frozen, and seized.
  

This complex operation mobilized over 230 gendarmes, including cybercrime specialists, surveillance teams, and intervention forces.

Ongoing Investigation:
A judicial inquiry will be opened for acts of kidnapping and organized group sequestration, accompanied by acts of torture, barbarism, and extortion under armed threat. These offenses carry a potential sentence of life imprisonment.

I would like to acknowledge the professionalism and exemplary coordination of all the units involved.

Key Participants:

• Lieutenant-Colonel Marc Péter (Research Section of Bourges): Coordinator of the initial investigations.
  


• General JRTI (GIGN): Responsible for interventions at the hostage locations.
  


• Colonel Péri (National Cyber Unit): In charge of digital analysis and cryptocurrency tracking.
  


• General Frédéric Boneval (Director of Gendarmerie Operations): Oversaw collective mobilization and investigation follow-up.
  

[Hackers]

wow, not surprised, but man - that's crazy!

People in these positions need private security for sure.

[Klonopin]

Very interesting, did they try to ransom?

[Bastille]

wow, not surprised, but man - that's crazy!

People in these positions need private security for sure.

Definitely, it seems that they were well organized and it wasn't their first time. But justice in France is shit, not surprised they were free and planing other crimes

Very interesting, did they try to ransom?

Yes, I've translated the transcription of the video (in the spoiler) :

The kidnappers contacted one of the co-founders of Ledger to demand a ransom.
...
Part of the ransom was paid in cryptocurrency, but nearly all of it was traced, frozen, and seized.

[Hackers]

Definitely, it seems that they were well organized and it wasn't their first time. But justice in France is shit, not surprised they were free and planing other crimes

Crazy that they let him go, you would think at that level of kidnapping they may just off someone at the end of it all.
I need to watch the full video still though, maybe they tried.