Tags: EU | Iceland | Bitcoin

Suspect in Iceland's 'Big Bitcoin Heist' Escapes Prison

Tuesday, 17 April 2018 04:38 PM EDT

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A prisoner in Iceland suspected of masterminding the theft of about 600 computers used to mine bitcoin has managed to escape custody and flee the remote North Atlantic nation on a passenger plane.

Police said surveillance footage showed a suspect they identified as Sindri Thor Stefansson boarding a passenger plane to Sweden on Tuesday morning. They said he traveled under a passport in someone else's name.

Stefansson was among 11 people arrested earlier this year for allegedly stealing the powerful computers. Icelandic media have dubbed the country's biggest theft the "Big Bitcoin Heist."

The stolen equipment has been valued at almost $2 million. It's still missing.

A passenger on the flight the escaped inmate allegedly caught told national broadcaster RUV that Iceland's prime minister was also on the plane.

© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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A prisoner in Iceland suspected of masterminding the theft of about 600 computers used to mine bitcoin has managed to escape custody and flee the remote North Atlantic nation on a passenger plane.Police said surveillance footage showed a suspect they identified as Sindri...
EU,Iceland,Bitcoin
132
2018-38-17
Tuesday, 17 April 2018 04:38 PM
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