10 million euros demanded, mother threatened with beheading: alleged mastermind already convicted in Morocco

The case has reached a new stage in France. Idriss L., 36, described as the operation’s logistician, was recently indicted along with three other men before the Yvelines Assize Court. His request for release was rejected on Tuesday by the Versailles Investigations Chamber, reports Le Parisien.

The events date back to July 20, 2023, in Élancourt. At daybreak, a fake delivery driver wearing a yellow vest rings the doorbell of a 56-year-old woman’s home. As soon as she opens the door, two men push her into the apartment and then tie her feet, knees and shoulders with adhesive tape. Their real target is her son, who runs a financial company specializing in bitcoin from New York.

The attackers spread a tarp on the floor and threaten their hostage with a hammer and a machete. They demand that her son pay 10 million euros in cryptocurrency, otherwise promising to cut off his mother’s ear or behead her. The victim is stripped, sprayed with detergent, and then rinsed in the shower. The gang eventually leaves after receiving the equivalent of 30,000 euros.

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The fifty-something woman subsequently manages to remove her gag and call for help. Alerted by her screams, a neighbor enters through a window and frees her. Investigators from the Versailles anti-banditry brigade then examine surveillance footage, telephone records and traces left in the apartment. In particular, they identify a Peugeot 3008 stolen two days before the attack.

The logistician remains in prison

Idriss L. was arrested on September 7, 2023, at his girlfriend’s home in Le Perreux-sur-Marne, while he had allegedly prepared a suitcase to leave the country. Police found 25,000 euros in cash, a telephone and a computer. A notebook discovered at his home in Jouars-Pontchartrain also contained the note “see the sicarios,” a term used by the attackers.

The suspect admits having taken part in preparing the plan and having provided the victim’s address as well as the access code to her building. However, he maintains that he did not know the operation would target a woman. His lawyer emphasizes his secondary role and the lack of direct contact with the victim.

Two alleged enforcers, Franck Aimé B. and Chaher B., will also stand trial. The latter’s DNA was reportedly found on a bottle of detergent abandoned in the apartment. Another suspect confessed after being transferred from Niort prison and identified Idriss L. as the person who allegedly guided him.

On Bladi.net : Franco-Moroccan Suspect in Crypto Kidnappings Arrested in Morocco

The fourth defendant is Badiss Bajjou, whom investigators consider the alleged mastermind. After fleeing France, the Franco-Moroccan national was arrested in Tangier in June 2025. He is expected to be absent from the French trial, as Morocco does not extradite its nationals.

His absence does not mean that he has escaped justice. On May 21, 2026, Moroccan justice sentenced him to 25 years in prison for several crimes linked to a kidnapping and extortion network. However, this conviction handed down in Morocco must be distinguished from the Élancourt proceedings, in which Badiss Bajjou remains presumed innocent. No date has yet been set for the trial before the Yvelines Assize Court.