Recovery of the Stolen Satoshi Statue

A statue of Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, which went missing on Saturday, is reported to have been stolen, according to Satoshi Garely, the group behind the statue’s installation.

Municipal workers in Lugano, Switzerland, recovered the statue after it had been tossed into Lake Lugano by unknown individuals. The statue had been on display at Parcociani, a lakeside park.

Upon inspection, local authorities discovered that the statue had been vandalized rather than taken for financial reasons. It was originally secured to its base at two points on its feet, but somehow it had been detached.

To encourage the statue’s return, Satoshigallery offered a reward of 0.1 BTC, which amounts to over $11,000. Cointelegraph attempted to reach out to the Art Collective for comments but hadn’t received a response by the time of publication.

The statue, created by Italian artist and Bitcoin supporter Valentina Picozzi, was unveiled in October 2024 and quickly became a prominent symbol for the Bitcoin community. The artist noted that the creation process took 21 months.

Community Reaction to Vandalism

Reactions from the Bitcoin community have been strong against the statue’s theft and vandalism. It has transformed into a symbol of the Bitcoin movement and its enigmatic creator.

“This is just a stupid thing,” said Gabor Gabach, founder and CEO of Blockchain Royalty Rewards. “I really hope they catch whoever did it,” he expressed in a post.

Other comments suggested that participants at recent celebrations for Swiss National Day might have been involved in the vandalism, according to various supporters of Bitcoin.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino shared his sentiments on social media, expressing support for the recovery of the iconic statue with heart emojis.

“You may take our symbols, but you can’t take our spirit,” stated Satoshigarely, reinforcing the group’s commitment to installing similar statues in 21 different locations worldwide.