Three armed suspects have been arrested in France following a series of attempted home invasions targeting a senior executive of Binance's French unit. The incident began on the morning of Thursday, February 13, 2026, in the Val-de-Marne region. According to reports from local outlet RTL, three hooded individuals carrying weapons attempted to enter an apartment around 7:00 am CET.
The suspects first forced their way into the wrong apartment, demanding that the resident direct them to the home of the head of Binance France. After searching the apartment, the assailants stole two mobile phones before fleeing the scene. Approximately two hours later, the same suspects reportedly attempted a second home invasion in the Hauts-de-Seine region, where residents alerted authorities. Police were able to apprehend the three individuals, recovering the stolen phones and a vehicle that linked them to the earlier break-in.
Binance confirmed the incident to Cointelegraph, stating that one of its employees was the victim of a home invasion. "We are aware of a home break-in involving one of our employees. There is an ongoing investigation with the local police," a Binance spokesperson said. "The safety and well-being of our employees and their families is our absolute priority." The company declined to identify the employee, citing the ongoing investigation and safety concerns.
Yi He, co-founder and chief customer service officer at Binance, later confirmed that the employee and his family were safe and were actively cooperating with law enforcement. She expressed gratitude for the swift response of the French police's elite unit, the Brigade de Répression du Banditisme.
This attack occurs amidst a worrying rise in physical "wrench attacks" targeting cryptocurrency investors. According to cybersecurity firm CertiK, such attacks increased by 75% globally in 2025, with 72 verified cases resulting in at least $40.9 million in confirmed losses. France recorded the highest number of these attacks last year, with 19 confirmed incidents. The news follows a separate report earlier in the week where French police arrested six people over the kidnapping of a magistrate in a crypto-linked ransom case.
