The identity has been revealed of the person, who was the subject of an attempted kidnap in Brussels last Friday. The abduction led to a police chase that ended in a crash in Bruges and the arrest of suspects. The victim, who was injured in the crash, has been identified as the wife of a ‘crypto-influencer’. Her husband had been keen to post on social media that he had become a millionaire by investing in crypto currencies. It’s thought his wife was possibly kidnapped to obtain ransom money.
The Brussels public prosecutor's office has now revealed that a minor was among the would-be kidnappers.
A youth magistrate now holds jurisdiction over the boy, who has been placed in a closed juvenile institution. The 3 other suspects in the case are aged 18 or more and have been detained by the investigating judge.
The victim of the failed abduction is the wife of a well-known ‘crypto-influencer’. That is someone who regularly posts on social media about his investments in crypto currencies like bitcoin.
A few weeks ago the influencer posted that his crypto wallet was now worth €1.6 million. He claimed he bought bitcoins back in 2011, when they were worth less than 2 euros each.
‘In 2011 bitcoins were only circulating in a small circle of people. I don't know if his story is true,’ says Thomas Spaas, a lawyer who assists crypto investors. To collect a fortune, you just had to keep the bitcoins,’ the lawyer says. In 2011 you could buy a bitcoin for less than 2 euros. Today the price for one bitcoin hovers around 100,000 euros.
The value of bitcoin skyrocketed last week, breaking record after record. Spaas says he believes in the technology but seems to imply that it is not wise to publicise your crypto currency's profits.