Thanks to the competent French authorities else Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe would have been in kidnappers’ den by now. Mbappe was among the 26 highly placed individuals who were marked for snatching.
French newspaper Le Parisien reported that the alleged plot was masterminded by an 18-year-old identified as Clement L. He had been directing the activities outside through mobile phones before prison guards got waves of what was about to happen and seize the phones.
The individuals targeted allegedly included footballers, rappers, wealthy businessmen, jewelers and other well-to-do figures.
Even at the age of 18, Clement L had criminal records dating years back. He had been placed on a pre-trial detention over allegation of organised robbery. He had also been jailed for armed robbery when he and another person attacked a watchmaker in Paris.
His being in custody didn’t deter him as he continued to plot more crimes from inside using Snapchat under the alias “Lester Z”.
A source close to the investigation told Le Parisien that Clement L earlier denied any wrongdoing until evidence from the mobile phones gave him away.
“He also wanted to go after a rapper and the footballer Kylian Mbappe,” the source said.
He told investigators he was a school dropout but he would like to go back to pursue his ambition of becoming a chef. His plea was rejected pending the investigation.