This trio was believed to be sheltered by exchanging on “signal” encrypted messaging. It was without counting on the intervention of the cybergendarmes who transformed the phones of these men into accusers. These three suspects, aged 29 to 36, were referred on Monday, May 26 before the Bobigny Criminal Court (Seine-Saint-Denis), for “criminal association”. They obtained the return of this hearing on September 18. They are suspected of having fomented, in the previous days, a removal project with request for a ransom of an employee of the town hall of Saint-Denis.
This case begins on May 21, 2025, when the Pontarlier’s research brigade (Doubs) is carrying out an arrest operation in the Paris region as part of a scam in the professional training account committed two years ago. Three men are arrested at their home in Asnières-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine), Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis) and Saint-Denis, then led to the premises of the Paris research section. Parisian soldiers are maneuvering with their colleagues Cybersecurity, C3N.
The trio evokes a debt of 400,000 euros
They discover a disturbing conversation by exploring the contents of the phone from one of the suspects. Three conspirators – who hide behind the pseudonyms James, military and a … – discuss a project to kidnap and for the fourth man to force him to settle a debt. “They explicitly exchange on the organization of a kidnapping in order to extract money from a victim whose address they know, family situation and workplace,” said a source close to the case. A rapid action is envisaged, with a pistol, an electric baton and a truck set. They also intend to use a drone to recover the loot without risk of being challenged by the police. ».
One of them seems to take the upper hand over the others, distributing the roles and explaining the way of doing things. The victim, named “Samy”, would be a rich man, of Algerian origin, who has Rolex watches. He would also be the owner of apartments abroad. The trio evokes a significant debt of at least 400,000 euros, which may be linked to a drug flight in Morocco.
This man is identified and questioned by the military. But his profile seems quite far from the portrait drawn up by the suspects. 38 years old, he lives in Val-d’Oise with his wife and children. He has been employed by the town hall of Saint-Denis for 20 years. Without a fortune, his only wealth, he says during his hearing, it is “to have a family and a roof”. A little show -off, he liked to show his success by exhibiting a Rolex which he had bought in a “Micmac” store when he was 25 years old. He would have sold it to have a little money. He also likes to roll, in his old city of Saussaie, driving luxury rental cars. Asked about the men who blame him, he assures that they have never been in business and would only be neighborhood knowledge for him.
They say they would not have taken action
During conversations, abduction is envisaged imminently. Everything had to be fast, the man would be removed at the end of his work before being led to a sequestration place in Asnières-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine). It is planned to turn off mobile phones before dropping them off on Cergy (Val-d’Oise) to lure the investigators. During his detention, he is planned to threaten him and limit acts of violence. But one of them, “military”, wants the victim to be “raped by an African patient from AIDS”. The goal being to make him admit where he hides his nestling.
The trio is placed in police custody in the premises of the Paris research section. The first explains that this removal project aimed to obtain a refund in favor of his friend. But he maintains that he does not know the victim and would never have taken action. He added that he did not plan to receive money in this case. The second, who works in the police prefecture as an administrative agent, admits having participated in conversations but assures that it was only words. The last, on the same wavelength, explains that the victim owed him a sum of 20,000 euros following the purchase of a car which would never have been delivered to him. The lawyer, Me Yassine Yakouti, after the release of these men, did not wish to speak and reserves his observations for the judges of the court.