Morocco: Badiss Mohamed, alleged mastermind of crypto-kidnappings, also active in Belgium

Badiss Mohamed Amide B. is extending his tentacles to Belgium. Ten individuals under the age of 30 and a minor, all originally from France, were arrested on March 10 as they were about to kidnap the close associate of a crypto-millionaire based in Braine-l’Alleud, in the Walloon Brabant region. They identify him as the mastermind of this crypto-kidnapping. This Franco-Moroccan was arrested in Tangier on June 3 last. "He would recruit teams, often young people, in France through an intermediary to carry out various tasks: vehicle theft, kidnapping, sequestration, or even the supply of food for the kidnappers and victims," says La Dernière Heure.

Badiss is notably suspected of having orchestrated the kidnapping, on January 21, 2025, of David Balland, the co-founder of the French company Ledger. He was eventually found and released by the intervention group of the national gendarmerie (GIGN). This 24-year-old man is also said to be behind a sequestration and an attempted homicide committed in the summer of 2023, still in France.

For now, Badiss is not charged with the failed attempt in Braine-l’Alleud. If the facts are proven true, the Belgian authorities will be able to denounce them to the Moroccan authorities. However, this will not imply an extradition request, as Morocco does not extradite its nationals. Badiss could be tried by the Moroccan justice system for offenses committed in Belgium.