Spain’s National Police Authority has dismantled a ring allegedly involved in the kidnapping and murder of a man in Malaga earlier this year, the agency announced on Wednesday.
In April, the group assaulted a couple and shot the man in the leg before forcing them into a house and holding them captive for several hours. The kidnappers reportedly tried to access and steal the victims’ digital wallets. cryptocurrency. The woman was eventually released and contacted authorities, but her partner remained missing until her body was later found in a nearby wooded area.
Five suspects have been arrested in Spain, and four others currently in Denmark are also facing charges. Two of those charged are already in jail on similar charges. The operation was carried out in cooperation with Danish police.
A search revealed two handguns (one real and one replica), a retractable baton, a balaclava, bloodstained pants, and biological evidence consistent with blood on the premises where the victims were being held.
Cryptocurrency “wrench attack”
The incident is part of a growing wave of so-called “wrench attacks,” physical assaults aimed at forcing victims to unlock their cryptocurrency wallets. These incidents escalated this year as Bitcoin hit new highs.
Wrench attacks “have become a serious problem since last year,” said Ong Tsijiang, Koinat’s over-the-counter sales executive. decryptionHe pointed out that the deterioration of the macroeconomic situation after the coronavirus outbreak is causing an increase in robberies and purse snatching incidents.
However, he stressed that the industry should not be judged for its crimes. “I don’t think this is hurting the reputation of the crypto industry because we shouldn’t judge the victims,” he said. “Rather, we should reprimand criminals because they are committing crimes.”
Security experts have recorded a significant increase in such attacks in 2025. Jameson Ropp, chief technology officer at security firm Casa, has tracked at least 66 crypto-related physical assaults this year, including kidnappings and home invasions targeting investors, influencers, family members, and even crypto exchanges.
Cases include the attempted kidnapping of the daughter and grandson of a French cryptocurrency executive, an American tourist in London who was drugged with $123,000 from his wallet by a fake Uber driver, and Ledger co-founder David Balland, who was attacked and had one of his fingers severed. Similar cases of mutilation have also been reported in France.
Similar high-profile incidents have occurred in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
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