Icelandic suspect for bitcoin robbery escapes and gets off in plane with prime minister

In Iceland, a man suspected of a large bitcoin robbery escaped from prison and fled to Sweden by plane. According to local media, the Prime Minister of Iceland was in that same plane.

The man, Sindri Thor Stefansson, was arrested in February together with 21 other suspects. Stefansson is suspected of being the brain behind four raids on data centers in Iceland, in which some 600 computers were stolen. These are mining computers that perform complex calculations to enable secure transactions with crypto coins such as bitcoins. The computers are still searching and are worth around 1.6 million euros.

Stefansson probably escaped by climbing out of a window. He stayed in a simple prison, with no fence around it, and prisoners being able to use the internet and telephones. The prison is about 100 kilometers from the only international airport in Iceland.

How the man traveled is not clear. With a ticket that was not on his name he could board the plane. When the prison guards discovered that Stefansson had escaped, the plane was already on its way to Sweden.

The Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir, was also in the plane. She was on her way to Stockholm to meet Indian Prime Minister Modi. She has not yet responded to the reports about the escape. According to the Icelandic authorities, Stefansson was not considered a dangerous suspect.

Stefansson is still without trace. After his escape, an international investigation order has been issued against him. The Swedish police help with the search for the man.