Six arrested over plot to kidnap French YouTube star Inoxtag
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YouTube star Inoxtag, whose real name is Ines Benazzouz, in a screenshot of his best-known video about climbing Mount Everest with no prior mountaineering experience.
SCREENSHOT: YOUTUBE
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PARIS – The French police have arrested six people on suspicion of plotting to kidnap YouTube star Inoxtag or one of his relatives and demand a ransom, a source close to the case and prosecutors said on Jan 30.
Inoxtag, 22, whose real name is Ines Benazzouz, has 8.7 million subscribers on YouTube, 6.3 million on TikTok and nearly six million on Instagram.
His best-known video, a feature-length documentary about his ascent of Mount Everest – which he climbed despite no prior mountaineering experience – has been viewed 37 million times on YouTube since it was posted on Sept 14.
The six were detained for questioning on suspicion of attempted armed robbery and attempted kidnapping by an organised group, the prosecutor’s office said, confirming information first reported by broadcaster RTL.
They are suspected of attacking in November 2024 a couple who were living in a house that once belonged to Inoxtag in Orgeval near Paris, according to a source close to the case who asked not to be named.
The attackers had intended to kidnap the YouTuber or one of his relatives and demand a ransom, apparently unaware the house had changed owners, the source said.
In early November, burglars targeted another house Inoxtag had once rented.
The social media phenomenon began posting video game footage in his mid-teens, and his dynamic energy catapulted him to superstardom among young French.
Inoxtag in November 2024 published his first graphic novel, Instinct, that tells the story of a young man with the power to perceive the aura and intentions of those around him.
But it was the release in mid-September 2024 of the film capturing his preparations to climb Mount Everest that brought his fame to new heights.
He swore off social media during his Everest ascent and said he had learnt from the criticism he received over his climb – particularly from mountaineers – about environmental issues and overtourism.
He said he still gave himself “breaks” from screens and acknowledged his frustration over the “politicisation” he has faced on social media.
“I don’t want to talk about politics,” he told AFP in 2024, though he acknowledged his influence with young people.
“My only job is to pass on optimism and good values.” AFP
