Arrest Made in Violent Kidnapping of Ledger Founder for Crypto Ransom: Report

An individual suspected to have participated in the kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland in France last year has been arrested in Spain, according to a local news report from Le Parisien.

The apprehended individual is believed to be the final outstanding perpetrator from the January 2025 attack, according to the report. 

“The French authorities identified and arrested all members of the criminal organization, with the exception of one of them, who left the country to seek refuge in our country and avoid his arrest,” the Spanish Civil Guard said in a statement. 

The individual, who was not named, was located in Spain and eventually arrested last week in the municipality of Benalmadena. The arrest of the individual was facilitated with the use of a large police presence, the report says, “due to their dangerousness and the possibility that the criminal organization to which they belonged might try to free them.”

Balland and his wife were kidnapped from their home in Cher, France last January and held captive for around 24 hours, with ransom demands of 10 million Euros worth of crypto—about $11.6 million—according to the Spanish Civil Guard. 

One of Balland’s fingers was cut off during that time and mailed to his associates, Le Parisien reported at the time, citing unnamed sources. The pair were soon after liberated by law enforcement and the other kidnappers were arrested. 

In June, police in Morocco arrested French-Moroccan national Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, who was alleged to be the mastermind behind Balland’s abduction and other crypto-related kidnappings in France.

Wrench attacks, or physical attacks in attempts to coerce crypto from victims, have been on the rise in the last year, jumping 75% year-over-year, according to data from security firm CertiK.

France has been particularly troubled, responsible for 16 of the 23 wrench attacks that have been publicly reported this year, according to a database compiled by crypto security researcher and Casa CTO, Jameson Lopp. 

Earlier this year, six individuals were arrested for kidnapping a magistrate and seeking a crypto ransom. Plus, the CEO of Binance France was the target of a home invasion, but was unharmed and the alleged perpetrators were arrested.