French crypto boss hails son-in-law, neighbour for thwarting kidnap attempt

French cryptocurrency boss Pierre Noizat on Friday praised his "heroic" son-in-law and a neighbour wielding a fire extinguisher for preventing the kidnap attempt of his pregnant daughter and young grandson.This week's attempted abduction was the latest attack on a crypto trader in the French capital.On Tuesday morning, four masked men attacked the daughter of the CEO and co-founder of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency exchange platform, her husband and their child in the French capital's hip 11th district. All three suffered light injuries and were taken to hospital.Noizat praised his "heroic" son-in-law as well as the man who used a red fire extinguisher against the attackers, saying he was "exemplary."He said his son-in-law was doing fine."He has a few stitches," Noizat said in an interview with broadcaster BFMTV."I'm amazed by his resilience and his courage," he said, adding that his son-in-law fought off the attackers with the help of neighbours."I admire them," said Noizat.According to video footage broadcast on television, the couple resisted, with the husband being beaten with "blunt objects", a police source has said.

The screams of the victims attracted passers-by, and one man was seen confronting the attackers with a fire extinguisher.

The attackers eventually fled the scene in a van, as the man threw the fire extinguisher in their direction."I thank him and congratulate him for his courage," Noizat said, referring to the neighbour."He was exemplary, especially when you consider the risk he took," said the Paymium boss. "He went with his gut. It's quite remarkable."Noizat said his daughter was "as well as can be expected"."She is very strong," he added.Tuesday's events followed several such high-profile cases in France, including the abduction in January of French crypto boss David Balland and his partner. Balland, co-founder of the Ledger crypto firm, had his finger cut off by the kidnappers. The crimes prompted Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau to summon a meeting of cryptocurrency professionals to discuss how to prevent future kidnappings for ransom. Noizat was set to attend the gathering, scheduled for Friday.Founded in 2011, Paymium describes itself as a European pioneer in bitcoin trading.