According to local reports, two of the six men accused of trying to kidnap the wife of Sébastien Borget, co-founder of The Sandbox, were arrested after calling an Uber to flee the scene.
One of the attackers, disguised as a delivery man, allegedly convinced Borget’s wife to open the gate at their home in the Île-de-France region of northern France. Five masked accomplices then ran into the courtyard and tried to force her into a nearby car, Le Journal du Dimanche reported Thursday.
Neighbors intervened, forcing the attackers to flee. According to Le Journal du Dimanche, four fled in a vehicle, while two others fled on foot and ordered an Uber, which was then intercepted by the Meaux Anti-Crime Brigade. Replica pistols, cable ties and balaclavas were allegedly found in the possession of two suspects.
Initial police investigation linked the attack to cryptocurrencies. It comes as cryptographic key attacks have increased since 2025, when Web3 security firm CertiK identified Europe as a hotspot in a report earlier this month, with most attacks occurring in France.
CertiK added that most of these attacks are carried out by “complete amateurs” recruited through messaging apps such as Telegram or Snapchat, with coordinators located outside the country.
Countries across Europe, especially France, have seen a high number of key attacks this year. Source: CertiK
Four suspects still at vast
Borget’s wife was reportedly uninjured, and the four remaining members of the group are still on the run.
Blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs reported last May, the number of wrench attacks increased due to the perceived pseudonymity of cryptocurrency transactions, the public visibility of wealth, and the ease with which bad actors can collect personal information online.
Related: Law enforcement freezes $41 million in connection with the collapse of a $150 million Ponzi cryptocurrency
The company also said that it is increasingly common for bad actors to target family members of cryptocurrency holders. Last May, four men tried it abduct daughter and granddaughter of the French stock exchange director Pierre Noizat in Paris. In the same month, the French police saved kidnapped father of a crypto entrepreneur held for ransom.
Cas’ head of security, Jameson Lopp, did just that recorded According to his 2014 incident list, there have already been 38 cryptographic key attacks this year.
Warehouse: Bitcoin ETFs Bleed $1B, Aave’s $71M ETH Unlock Offer Delayed: Hodler’s Digest, May 10-16
