Six youths charged in France over kidnapping of mother and child

Six young men aged between 17 and 20 in France have been charged in connection with the kidnapping of a mother and her 11-year-old son, carried out amid cryptocurrency-related demands.

According to BFM, citing the Paris prosecutor’s office, the crime took place on April 13 in the Yonne department. Four masked attackers broke into the family’s home, tied up the father with plastic restraints, and demanded a transfer of around $400,000 in cryptocurrency. Investigators say the man was beaten and threatened with mutilation.

After learning that the cryptocurrency transfer could take several days, the perpetrators abducted the woman and child. The suspects also stole approximately €10,000 in cash, jewellery, silver bars, and weapons from the house.

The hostages were freed on the morning of April 14 in Val-de-Marne during a gendarmerie operation involving the GIGN special unit. Around 100 law enforcement officers took part in the raid.

In total, six individuals, including one minor, have been charged in the case. They face charges of kidnapping and unlawful detention as part of an organised group — offences that can carry life imprisonment in France. Another suspect was released without charges after it was established that his phone had been used by the perpetrators following its theft.

The investigation is ongoing to identify the possible organiser of the kidnapping. According to defence lawyers, some of the suspects may have acted under pressure or played secondary roles in the crime.