Authorities arrest missing suspect in Ledger co-founder David Balland's kidnapping

Spanish authorities have apprehended the final suspect in the kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland, according to local reporting from Le Parisien and Agence France-Presse.

Balland and his wife were abducted from their home in central France in January 2025 by suspects looking to earn a 10 million euros ransom for the co-founder of one of France’s largest crypto firms.

At least 10 individuals, including nine men and one woman between the ages of 20 and 40, were initially arrested in connection with the case shortly after the rescue last year. Several were placed in pre-trial detention and charged with offenses including gang-related kidnapping, torture, and armed extortion.

"After the events, 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 on Friday.

The latest unnamed suspect was arrested in Andalusia, Spain, after staying at several locations across the country in rooms rented online, the Spanish Civil Guard said. The guard said it deployed a large police force during the arrest due to his “dangerousness” and connection to a larger criminal organization.

Certik noted the suspected kidnappers appear to be connected to "a sophisticated network operating out of Morocco."

Last year saw the highest number of crypto wrench attacks, with about 70 physical assaults on record. France has seen a particularly notable rise in the number of attacks, including most recently the botched home invasion of Binance France CEO David Prinçay.

Balland and his wife’s abduction stands out as particularly cruel. The attackers severed one of Balland's fingers and left his wife locked up in the trunk of a car outside Paris, where she was rescued.