Restaurateur, ex-commando, paparazzo suspects in Nice kidnap plot

French prosecutors called Sunday for an Italian restaurateur, a homeless former British special forces soldier and a one-time paparazzi photographer to be charged over the kidnapping of a French hotel magnate.

Jacqueline Veyrac, 76, the millionaire owner of the Michelin-starred La Reserve hotel in Nice on France's Riviera was snatched Monday as she was getting into her SUV and bundled into a waiting van.

She was released two days later after being spotted by a passerby, tied to the van's floor.

The Nice prosecutor also called for charges to be brought against three other people for their part in the conspiracy, and for all six to be detained.

Separately, the prosecutor also requested charges be brought against a private detective for failing to alert police to the group's plans.

Investigators believe the restaurateur, identified only as Giuseppe S, harboured a grudge against Veyrac.

Originally from Turin, he managed the restaurant at La Reserve from 2007 until 2009 when his company went into liquidation, causing him to resent Veyrac.

The kidnapping was a bid to recover money lost during the liquidation, investigators said.

The former press photographer, Luc G -- also known as "Tintin" -- is accused of fitting a tracking device to Veyrac's car.

And an English man, who served in the British special forces and is now homeless in Nice, is believed to have provided surveillance for the gang.

Veyrac was targeted in another attempted kidnapping three years ago but the motive was never clear.

Investigators are now seeking to determine if there is a link between the two events.