French Police Arrest Trio After Attempted Kidnapping of Binance Leader

• Armed attackers went to David Prinçay’s home, but he was absent.
• Police later caught the suspects, underscoring rising crypto-linked attacks in France.

On February 12, 2026, an armed group attempted to kidnap David Princay, who was the French president of Binance, in the Val-de-Marne region near Paris. Authorities believed that it was a crypto-related attack. According to the French reports, three hooded men carrying weapons entered the residential building around 7.00 am in search of Princay. Then they realized that he was not at home and fled, stealing two mobile phones. 

Around two hours later, police responded to another incident that happened just the same way in a nearby suburb, with a resident being assaulted with rifle bullets by the hooded attackers. Investigators later connected both events after the CCTV showed the same vehicle with a stolen phone appearing near the second location. 

A similar incident was reported shortly

French police launched an operation with police units, and specialized anti-bandit teams coordinated a search across the regions. Authorities tracked the suspects onto a train heading to Lyon. They took all three into custody later the same day. Meanwhile, Yi He, co-founder of Binance, confirmed publicly that Princay and his family are safe. 

Image Source: https://x.com/heyibinance/status/2022297766744232327

Authorities say attackers identify targets by gathering personal data from the hacks or social media information and attempt to kidnap. French police have arrested several groups linked to similar operations in 2025. Rising kidnapping attempts on higher crypto executives and healthy investors have sharply increased in France in recent years.  

This incident shows the shift from online crypto hacks to real-world crimes. As the digital asset wealth grows, cybersecurity is no longer enough, and personal safety planning becomes crucial for crypto investors and executives.

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