French crypto holder sentenced to 30 months for shooting at fleeing kidnappers

Key points

• Ayman R, 23, was sentenced on 4 November to 30 months in prison over the Halloween shooting in Vendée.
• Prosecutor Olivier Dubief said the attackers were already leaving, calling the shot "an act of revenge, not self-defence".

A French crypto holder has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for firing a gun at men who tried to force their way into his father's home in Vendée, Bitcoin.com News reports. Ayman R, 23, was convicted on 4 November over the shooting, which happened on Halloween afternoon while children were out in the street.

According to French press reports cited by the outlet, the man had fled an earlier assault and reached his father's house to call the authorities. About 30 minutes later the same group arrived and tried to get in, and he went upstairs and fired a Glock pistol towards one of the men climbing up. The attackers fled, leaving a mobile phone behind, and neighbours told the court that two hooded men had kicked in the front door.

The vice-prosecutor in charge of the case, Olivier Dubief, argued that the shot was retaliation rather than self-defence, saying the man was no longer in danger when he fired. His lawyer, Jean-Baptiste Colombani, said his client holds cryptocurrency and that data about holders leaks; he was previously kidnapped in 2022 and escaped from a safe in Nantes.

The case comes amid a rise in violence aimed at French crypto holders, with more than 70 such crimes reported to authorities by June, including a home-jacking attempt targeting Binance France president David Prinçay.

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