A press convention held immediately, October 31, at London’s Frontline Membership presupposed to unveil the true id of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. Stephen Mollah, a British businessman presently embroiled in a authorized dispute over the identical declare, stepped ahead as the person behind the pseudonym.
Is Stephen Mollah The Bitcoin Inventor?
On October 30, a press launch titled “Satoshi Nakamoto to Reveal Authorized Id on 31 October 2024” circulated extensively. The discharge introduced a stay press convention scheduled for 11:30 AM (London time) on the Frontline Membership in Paddington, London. It proclaimed:
“After over a decade of hypothesis and thriller, the world will lastly study the true id of Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive inventor of Bitcoin and the foundational blockchain know-how. On this momentous event, Nakamoto will reveal his authorized id in a stay press convention, marking a historic occasion within the cryptocurrency panorama.”
The supposed Satoshi Nakamoto was quoted as saying: “The time has come for me to formally reveal my id. I’m dealing with important authorized challenges, and I consider the world deserves the reality.”
Joe Tidy, a correspondent for BBC Information, attended the occasion and supplied stay updates through X. His observations paint an image of a disorganized and contentious gathering: “I’m at a London occasion billed because the ‘unveiling of the true authorized id of Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto’. An odd set as much as the press convention because the organiser requested me to pay £500 to attend and seem on stage to ask questions of the billionaire thriller man.”
Charles Anderson, the occasion organizer, took the stage first, claiming he had solely two hours of sleep in 48 hours as a result of overwhelming response to the announcement. Anderson made daring assertions about his personal achievements, stating he had invented “power restoration programs” in vehicles and the tv present “Britain’s Received Expertise.”
The proceedings took a flip when a consultant from the Frontline Membership interrupted to make clear that the occasion was neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the membership. This intervention led to at the very least one reporter strolling out.
Amid technical difficulties—particularly, an incapacity to get their laptop computer working—Stephen Mollah appeared on stage. He declared himself to be Satoshi Nakamoto and promised to offer proof supporting his declare. Tidy reported:
“‘Satoshi’ and his organizer can’t get their laptop computer working so are doing the occasion offline for now. Mr Mollah is explaining his background and says he’s an financial and financial scientist. He says he beforehand tried to out himself as Satoshi in 2016 however ‘somebody stopped him’ then once more by talking to the BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones who interviewed him however didn’t publish a narrative.”
Mollah’s declare shouldn’t be with out precedent. In keeping with an October 10 report by the London Night Normal, Mollah, 58, and Anderson, 67, are presently defendants in a non-public prosecution alleging fraud. They’re accused of falsely representing Mollah as Satoshi Nakamoto and claiming he owned 165,000 Bitcoin held in Singapore—an quantity value billions of {dollars}.
The cost specifies that the boys “dishonestly” asserted Mollah’s id and possession of the substantial Bitcoin holdings, desiring to trigger loss to or expose the alleged sufferer, Dalmit Dohil, to a threat of loss. Each Mollah and Anderson pleaded not responsible to a single cost of fraud by false illustration at Inside London Crown Court docket. They have been launched on unconditional bail, with a trial date set for November 3, 2025.
Group Reactions
The Bitcoin neighborhood reacted swiftly and skeptically to the occasion. Many labeled Mollah as one more “Faketoshi,” a time period used to explain people falsely claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto. On-line boards and social media platforms have been abuzz with criticism and disbelief.
One person commented: “Spoiler alert for the latest Faketoshi: Charles Anderson is the ‘journalist’ who’s ‘exposing’ Stephen Mollah because the ‘true’ Satoshi. Charles Anderson is a liar, and Stephen Mollah is a fraud. There needs to be zero tolerance for vermin like this in well mannered society.” One other added: “Positively one of many extra loopy individuals claiming to be Satoshi lol.”
At press time, BTC traded $71,880.
Featured picture from X @joetidy, chart from TradingView.com
