Unusual prey in the attack on the apartment of a well-known Internet entrepreneur in Spain: According to the victim, the perpetrators escaped with “several dozen million euros in Bitcoin”, the media reported on Wednesday, citing the police.
According to his own statements, the man was tortured by the thieves for four hours so that he could reveal the passwords for his digital assets.
The four to five masked people rang the doorbell and broke in when he opened the door, suspecting no evil. Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies are mostly stolen by hackers.
Victim has lived in Spain since the late 1990s
The Spanish police confirmed the media reports on request. Because of the procedure, one suspects that it could be a gang from Eastern Europe. But one does not exclude any possibility and investigate in all directions, emphasized a spokesman.
The attack occurred on Tuesday afternoon in a luxurious apartment building near the Prado Museum in the center of the Spanish capital. The victim is an American who has lived in Spain since the late 1990s.
Taken laptops, tablets and cell phones
At the time of the attack, there were two other men in the apartment of the 38-year-old from Santa Barbara, California – a friend and a craftsman. Both were also bound and gagged. The perpetrators attacked him with a taser, scratched his chest with a knife and sprayed him in his eyes. They would have taken laptops, tablets and cell phones with them.
According to the media, there are also witnesses: A neighbor of the American had testified, for example, that he saw a group of masked men leave the house with several large bags, it was said. (SDA)