Bitcoin Developer Jon Atack Temporarily Detained in El Salvador Following Disagreement with Neighbor

Senior Bitcoin developer Jon Atack was arrested in El Salvador over the weekend following a dispute with a neighbor, leading to a wave of online concern before he was released about an hour later.

Atack, a contributor to Bitcoin Core, shared on a microblogging platform that police confiscated his phone and passport, isolating him from the outside world and raising fears within crypto circles.

Initially, law enforcement informed him he could be sent to a nearby prison, though he managed to avoid that outcome.

The altercation appears linked to a property dispute rather than Atack’s work in crypto. Stacy Herbert, director of El Salvador’s National Bitcoin Office and a supporter of President Nayib Bukele, mentioned that Atack’s neighbor accused him of “violence against women.”

Under El Salvador’s 2012 law known as Vida Libre de Violencia para las Mujeres, threats against women are deemed criminal offenses.

Atack was released shortly after being detained, praising the officers as “professional and friendly.” He expressed gratitude to his supporters online, remarking, “This was the first time I’ve been in cuffs and God willing also the last time.”

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