- It is now clear why the Zurich canton police carried out a house search in Winterthur at the end of July: It was about investigations against a 53-year-old German.
- He is said to have threatened a company with an explosives explosion in 2019 and extorted several hundred thousand euros in Bitcoin.
As part of the investigation, the suspect’s home in Switzerland was searched, the public prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe wrote in a statement. As a result of the legal assistance, numerous pieces of evidence, including explosive substances and illegal firearms, could be secured, it is said.
The man was arrested in Germany at the same time. The accused was temporarily in custody on suspicion of particularly serious extortion. As a result of his threat, he is said to have extorted several hundred thousand euros in Bitcoin from the company. Despite the alleged anonymity of the cryptocurrency and various concealment measures by the suspect, it was possible to trace the digital trail of the extorted bitcoins, according to the statement.
The investigations by the Karlsruhe criminal police and the Karlsruhe public prosecutor’s office initially continued.