Iceland - Bitcoin Heist Suspect Escapes With PM’s Plane

Every now and then, a writer comes across a story that you think can’t even be true, but in fact it is. This is one of those stories.

Today, a prisoner accused of robbing some 2 million dollars of computers used for crypto-currency mining equipment fled a prison and then boarded the same plane as the prime minister of the country to get out of the area.

The events took place in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Related coverage: thegoldwater.com/news/18312-Iceland-More-Energy-Used-For-Bitcoin-Than-For-Heating

Mr Sindri Thor Stefansson was one of the 11 people arrested for the theft of those said computers and was kept in a minimum security prison from which he escaped by crawling through a window. He then subsequently left Iceland by taking off in the plane that brought the Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir to a meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Sweden.

'Big bitcoin heist' suspect escapes prison and flees Iceland 'on PM's plane'

Sindri Thor Stefansson escaped through window before reportedly boarding same flight to Sweden as prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir

The suspected mastermind behind the theft … https://t.co/iwNIsuLThF

— ProgrammingSPK (@programmerspk) April 18, 2018

Mr Helgi Gunnlaugsson, a sociology professor at the University of Iceland, commented: “Prison breaks in Iceland usually mean someone just fled to get drunk.”

Related coverage: thegoldwater.com/news/18765-Iceland-Proposes-Ban-On-Male-Circumcision-Muslims-Outraged

“The underworlds are tiny and it is extremely difficult to hide, let alone flee the country.”

Prime Ministers @narendramodi and @katrinjak reviewed the full range of India-Iceland relations during their meeting today. pic.twitter.com/kSOJL924KB

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 17, 2018

In recent years, and certainly since the Indian and Chinese crackdown on their energy centers being used to mine crypto-currency, Iceland has become a hotspot of for data centres and crypto-currency mining.

The abundance of renewable energy and cold climate mean that crypto-currency now uses just as much energy as the Icelandic population itself (see our related coverage).

Source:

theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/18/big-bitcoin-heist-suspect-sindri-thor-stefansson-escapes-prison-flees-iceland-pm-katrin-jakobsdottir-plane