Amsterdam police have announced the re-arrest of Sindri Thor Stefansson. He was initially arrested days ago in Iceland in connection with a bitcoin hardware mining caper that included 600 computers worth $2 million. In a James Bond-like villain move, after his first capture he managed to escape, reportedly hitching a ride on a plane carrying Iceland’s prime minister.
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Bond-Like bitcoin Villain Re-Arrested
Mr. Stefansson, after have absconded, wrote to a popular online site to plead his case. “I simply refuse to be in prison of my own free will,” he explained to Frettabladid, “especially when the police threaten to arrest me without explanation. I’m not trying to say that it was the right decision to leave, I really regret it…I didn’t expect an international arrest warrant to be issued against me, as I was legally free to leave, and believed it was out of the question that I would be labelled a fugitive. I would never have done this if I didn’t believe I was a free man.”
Sindri Thor Stefansson shown on CCTV while at large
It’s something straight out of a movie. Media outlets are claiming Sindri Thor Stefansson to be a “mastermind”. He, at the very least, was implicated recently in a major crime for the country of Iceland: $2 million in computer mining hardware is missing, believed to be part of an elaborate theft conspiracy, involving a gang of 11 others including Mr. Stefansson’s wife.
Mr. Stefansson escaped what local press refers to as “low-security” confinement after first being arrested. He was held in Sogn, an open prison 59 miles from the country’s international airport (95 km). It’s so loose it doesn’t have a fence, and detainees can even surf the net.
Thought He Could Avoid Capture Indefinitely
The mastermind slipped out through a window. He somehow later made it to the airport, procuring a flight boarding pass under an assumed name (though he paid with his own debit card), and managed to put himself on a flight to Sweden carrying Iceland’s prime minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir. He wasn’t discovered missing by guards until well after the plane was airbound. An international warrant was soon issued for Mr. Stefansson.
Downtown Amsterdam
The Big bitcoin Heist, as it has been tagged on the frozen island, involved bitcoin mining rigs grabbed in conjunction with four data center break-ins. Iceland has become a magnet for crypto miners due to relatively cheap electricity and its cold climes, helping the notoriously overheated instruments cool as they mine.
Mr. Stefansson’s unorthodox public letter while on the run insisted he could remain elusive to authorities for “as long as I like”. Dutch police disagreed, arresting him without incident and are presently arranging for his extradition back to Iceland.
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Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Dutch police.
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Ethereum-based ecosystem has announced its mission to bridge the gap between cryptocurrency and everyday payments. The platform aims to implement its native IC currency and exchange with its own IC Brokerage.
The vision of the IC Ecosystem is to unite markets by establishing 6 different components to work hand in hand under one umbrella, providing all community members the chance to capitalize on upcoming opportunities in all markets. The Ecosystem is comprised of an IC Wallet, IC Exchange, IC Brokerage, IC Digital Bank, IC Certifier and IC ICO Accelerator.
INGOT has stated that users of the platform will be able to utilize the IC Digital Bank and IC Wallet to easily transfer cryptocurrencies for use in more traditional practices. The ecosystem offers additional services to stakeholders within the IC community and has certified experts to assist the development of the ecosystem.
Director of INGOT Group and founder of INGOT Coin, Iman Mutlaq stated: “INGOT Coin will create a complete solution by integrating 6 core ecosystem components and providing a one-stop-shop for the digital asset, traditional asset, and currency markets”
The IC Ecosystem will provide 24/7 support, services and linkage between markets, providing entry and exit mechanism for both sides, leading to making reallocation and trading techniques as efficient as possible, without being hindered by the time and cost associated with the previously segregated markets.
Ahmed Khawanky, CMO of INGOT Coin, remarked: “INGOT Coin will make trading direct, cost-efficient, less timely and more available round the clock by utilizing distributed technologies and discarding the issues brought by third-party intermediaries and banks such as high fees, unavailability, and time consumption. Being in the market since 1993, we can see that as technology progresses, the more efficient the markets are”
Primarily, the IC Ecosystem will facilitate custodial and brokerage operations that will encompass all traditional financial instrument functions required. Linking multi-signature and cold storage IC Wallets with the IC Exchange in addition to linking the IC Brokerage to both components will allow clients to trade in crypto and alter to the traditional market freely and expand or liquidate their investments through the IC Bank.
![Bitfinex hack: stolen bitcoin [btc] funds make a move in the market](https://ohiobitcoin.com/storage/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-26-at-1.45.20-AM.png "Bitfinex hack: stolen bitcoin [btc] funds make a move in the market")