Mbappé among high-profile targets in alleged French kidnapping network investigation

Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappé has reportedly been named as a potential target in an alleged kidnapping plot uncovered by French authorities.

The investigation centres on an 18-year-old Franco-Swiss man, identified as Clément L., who is accused of planning kidnappings involving wealthy public figures, according to reports in France.

Mbappé, one of world football’s biggest stars and a player with strong African roots through his Cameroonian father and Algerian mother, was reportedly among several footballers and wealthy individuals identified by investigators.

Suspect allegedly targeted 26 people

According to MARCA, investigators discovered evidence suggesting that as many as 26 people may have been identified as potential targets.

The alleged list included footballers, rappers, businessmen, jewellers and other wealthy individuals.

The investigation reportedly began to uncover the wider plot following the suspect’s arrest in connection with an assault on a watchmaker in Neuilly-sur-Seine in April.

Le Parisien cited a judicial source as saying that Mbappé was among the high-profile figures on the list.

Instructions allegedly issued from prison

Investigators reportedly found that the suspect continued to give instructions while being held at Villepinte prison in Seine-Saint-Denis.

He allegedly used Snapchat and two mobile phones to communicate, with authorities said to have recovered addresses linked to several potential victims from the devices.

Among those allegedly identified as targets were a Chinese wholesaler in Paris’ 19th district, jewellers and a Turkish meat wholesaler in Val-d’Oise whose fortune was estimated to be worth millions.

The teenager was already in custody over allegations involving armed robbery and pimping when investigators reportedly uncovered the broader kidnapping plan.

Investigation into alleged criminal network continues

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the suspect reportedly told investigators that he hoped to return to education and eventually become a chef after dropping out during his first year of vocational cooking studies.

French authorities are continuing their investigation to establish the full scale of the alleged criminal network and whether concrete preparations had been made to carry out any kidnappings.

The case has drawn particular attention because of Mbappé’s inclusion among the alleged targets, with the 27-year-old remaining one of the most recognisable footballers in the world and an influential figure for football audiences across Africa and beyond.