The iconic “disappearing” statue of pseudonymous Bitcoin (BTC) creator Satoshi Nakamoto, reported stolen on Saturday, has been recovered, in line with Satoshigallery, the artwork collective accountable for putting in the statue.
Municipal staff from the metropolis of Lugano, Switzerland, recovered the statue, which was thrown into Lake Lugano after it was faraway from its base in Parco Ciani, a lakefront park within the Swiss metropolis, by unknown individuals.
The municipal staff found the statue in a number of items, indicating vandalism, slightly than theft for financial acquire. The statue was solely welded to the bottom at two factors on the statue’s ft, which remained fastened to the bottom.
Satoshigallery supplied a 0.1 BTC reward, valued at over $11,000, for the restoration of the statue, and Cointelegraph reached out to the artwork collective for remark however was unable to acquire a response by the point of publication.
The iconic murals by the Italian artist and Bitcoin advocate Valentina Picozzi was unveiled in October 2024 and has turn out to be a flagship image of the Bitcoin neighborhood. The statue took 21 months to completely plan and assemble, in line with the artist.
Related: Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto is the world’s eleventh richest individual
Bitcoin neighborhood reacts to vandalism in opposition to iconic image
The Bitcoin neighborhood voiced reactions of disgust and defiance on the theft and vandalism of the statue, which has since turn out to be an emblem of the Bitcoin motion and the digital forex’s mysterious creator.
“Such a tasteless and silly factor to do. Hope they discover who did it,” Gabor Gurbacs, founder and CEO of blockchain loyalty rewards and tokenization platform Pointsville, wrote in a X submit.
Others like pseudonymous Bitcoin advocate Gritto theorized that “drunk” partygoers celebrating Swiss National Day, the vacation that commemorates the founding constitution of the European nation, have been accountable for the vandalism.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino reacted to the restoration of the enduring statue with a easy coronary heart emoji on social media.
“You can steal our image, however you’ll by no means be capable of steal our souls,” Satoshigallery mentioned, whereas reiterating the artwork collective’s dedication to putting comparable statues in 21 places across the globe.
Magazine: Baby boomers price $79T are lastly getting on board with Bitcoin
