Australian police raided today the Sydney home of Craig Steven Wright, an academic and entrepreneur, and believed to be the creator of bitcoin.
Since 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto was the name plastered on the bitcoin model. Many individuals and online sleuths have been trying to identify Nakamoto's real identity, including The New York Times, Newsweek and many others, with no luck.
Wired, however, was able to come up with substantial evidence that supports the fact that Nakamoto is Wright. On top of that, Gizmodo also published an article that strongly reinforces the claim.
The two websites conducted their investigations based on leaked emails, documents and whatnot, which include a written copy of a discussion between Wright and Australian tax officials.
The police raids were carried out a couple of hours after Wired and Gizmodo published their findings. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) says, however, that the websites did not have anything to do with its plans.
"[Officers'] presence at Mr. Wright's property is not associated with the media reporting overnight about bitcoins," the AFP says.
In line with what's listed on Wright's LinkedIn account, he is apparently the chief executive officer of DeMorgan Ltd, which is described as a "pre-IPO Australian listed company focused on alternative currency, next generation banking and reputational and educational products with a focus on security and creating a simple user experience."
"[D]espite a massive trove of evidence, we still can't say with absolute certainty that the mystery is solved. But two possibilities outweigh all others: Either Wright invented bitcoin, or he's a brilliant hoaxer who very badly wants us to believe he did," Wired says.
Bitcoin has grown to become a full-fledged currency that totals to about £3.3 (roughly $4.9 billion) billion in value.
Back in September, major Australian banks announced that they were closing accounts of bitcoin companies. As a result, 13 digital currency providers went out of business, and most Australian businesses were gradually losing interest in the cryptocurrency.
