Paris
CNN
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French police rescued the father of a cryptocurrency entrepreneur from his kidnappers Saturday night, but found he’d had one of his fingers severed – the latest in a spate of abductions tied to cryptocurrency.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was forced into a van by four men wearing ski masks on a street of Paris Thursday morning. He was held hostage in an Airbnb 12 miles south of the French capital for two days before being rescued.

The kidnappers contacted the victim’s son, sending a video of the mutilated victim and demanding millions of euros in ransom money, according to CNN affiliate BFM TV.

Five people between the ages of 23 and 27 were brought into police custody following the raid, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s office.

The kidnapping shares striking similarities with other recent kidnappings tied to crypto currency in France and surrounding countries.

In January 2025, David Balland, cofounder of the crypto wallet company Ledger, was kidnapped with his wife from their home in central France.

Before the couple was freed by police, the assailants cut off Balland’s finger, sending a video of the severed appendage to his business partner Eric Larchevêque and demanding ransom money.

In December 2024, the wife of crypto investor and influencer Stéphane Winkel was kidnapped from the couple’s home in Belgium. She was rescued after her kidnapper crashed his car in a dramatic police chase, Winkel wrote in a post on X.

It is unclear whether the recent spate of crypto kidnappings are connected or not.

“Obviously there’s at least a link in the modus operandi. Now, whether it’s the same team or not is for the investigators to say.” said internal security expert Guillaume Farde speaking on French television Sunday.

Police have opened an investigation into the latest kidnapping, including for extortion by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy, the Paris Prosecutor’s office told CNN.

CNN
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“One of the most challenging things” about being imprisoned in Russia, Marc Fogel recalled, “was feeling like I might be forgotten.”

Fogel, a teacher, was detained for three and half years before being released in mid-February – becoming one of the first American detainees freed during President Donald Trump’s second term.

Fogel returned to Washington, DC, on Wednesday – in front of a mural of Americans detained abroad – to join with the families of others still imprisoned to call for their release.

“I am one of the lucky ones, and I want you to know that I and my family will work relentlessly for you all, because we want all of your loved ones here soon,” he said.

Fogel was among several Americans who had been freed from detention abroad who attended Wednesday’s mural unveiling. It was the third iteration of the project, organized by the Bring Our Families Home Campaign and created by artist Isaac Campbell, displaying 10-foot-tall faces of Americans detained abroad on an alley wall in the Georgetown neighborhood of the nation’s capital.

“It gives them a name. Their faces, as you can see, are larger than life, so that they can no longer be ignored,” said Scott St. Clair, whose son, Joseph St. Clair, is a veteran imprisoned in Venezuela. He is one of nine Americans there designated as wrongfully detained.

The mural shows St. Clair, Ksenia Karelina, Mahmood Habibi, Lucas Hunter, Andre Khachatoorian, David Barnes, Jorge Marcelo Vargas, Robert Gilman, Wilbert Castaneda, Youras Ziankovich, Shahab Dalili and Zack Shahin. Karelina and Ziankovich have both been freed – Ziankovich’s release happened on the same day the mural was unveiled.

The families of those whose faces are now displayed – held in countries like Venezuela, Russia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates – spoke of the pain of their loved ones’ detentions.

“I want you to imagine something, imagine someone you love with all your heart confined in a box, four walls, no lights, no windows, feeling isolated, in immense pain and completely uncertain if they will ever be free. Unfortunately for us, that nightmare is our everyday reality,” said the granddaughter of Vargas, a US citizen detained in Venezuela.

They also called for the US government to do its utmost to bring their loved ones home.

“Please, Mr. President, members of the Congress, use your authority, use your voices, use your resolve. Let the world know that America does not abandon its people,” said Patti St. Clair.

CNN
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The shock dismissal of Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone in early April has led to a change in “energy” around the team, Serbian superstar Nikola Jokić admitted after a 120-101 Game 7 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.

Malone led the team to an NBA title two seasons ago but was on a four-game losing streak when he, along with general manager Calvin Booth, was fired by Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke on April 8.

Since then, with Malone’s long-time assistant coach David Adelman at the helm, the team has gone on to win its next four games, secure home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs, and progress to the second round with Saturday’s victory.

“I think the owner … he wanted to change something to change the energy, and probably he did,” Jokić told reporters after the game. “He got the result that he was looking for.”

The Nuggets have been much improved since Adelman took charge and Saturday’s victory was their most impressive yet – the Clippers had won 18 of their last 21 games in the regular season and entered the series as favorites, but trailed by 35 points at one point in a Game 7 which cut short their season earlier than many had hoped.

Six Denver players contributed 15 points or more, becoming the first team in NBA history to do so in a Game 7 win.

Aaron Gordon led the scoring with 22 points, four rebounds and five assists. Christian Braun added 21 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Jokić contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Kawhi Leonard had 22 points, five rebounds and two assists for the Clippers, while James Harden was limited to just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting thanks to some excellent defense by Christian Braun.

“The rebounding and defense was amazing,” said Jokić. “We had a lot of opportunities to run and a lot of guys stepped up and a lot of guys made baskets.”

The victory will go some way to avenging the memory of Denver’s Game 7 exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves in last year’s second round, in which it blew a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets’ opponent in this year’s second round is the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, which went 68-14 in the regular season and will be well-rested after sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

The matchup will pitch Jokić against his main regular season MVP rival, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but the Serbian told reporters that was the last thing on his mind, preferring to focus on the Thunder’s collective ability.

“They’re a team that is always pushing the pace, who plays with a lot of energy … A lot of deflections, a lot of steals, attacking the glass,” he said. “They’re the number one seed for a reason.”

The series begins in Oklahoma on Monday night.