Investigations into the US Capitol Hill riots have now taken a strange turn of events after it emerged that a French computer programmer who may have committed suicide a day after donating over $550,000 of his "modest wealth" to the extreme right-wing supporters in the US.
It has now emerged that the transaction originated from a French cryptocurrency exchange on December 8, 2020, and 28.15 bitcoins — worth over $550,000 were transferred into the accounts of right-wing organizations and personalities including that of Internet celebrity Nick Fuentes.
A report has found that the bitcoins were deposited by a French computer programmer, who left a suicide note a day after transferring the donations to accounts of the far-right activists and organizations. It, however, is yet to be established if the French computer programmer is alive or dead.
The French connection has now further added a certain mystery to the entire incident as the mystery donor left the suicide note on a personal blog a day after transferring the donations.
In his suicide note, the French donor who associated his Bitcoin address with the pseudonym "pankkake" details of his health difficulties which pushed him to take the extreme step.
The donor said he has "bequeathed [his] fortune to certain causes and certain people." In other parts of his blog, he lamented about the collapse of the "western civilization" that encouraged him to hate his "ancestors and heritage."
The donor also mentions George Floyd in his blog claiming that he died of a drug overdose, and not because of the actions of the police officer who is not charged for murder.
The investigations into the bitcoin transfers undertaken by Chainalysis, which maintains a repository of information about public cryptocurrency exchanges found that Trump supporter and internet personality Nick Fuentes was the biggest beneficiary of the donations. He received 13.5 BTC worth approximately $250,000, while other funds were transferred into the accounts of anti-immigration organization VDARE and alt-right streamer Ethan Ralph.
Donations were also made to Amren, The Unz Review, Gab, Ruqqus.com, Patrick Casey, Daily Stormer, Bitchute, Lukesmith.xyz, Vicent Reynourard, besides two unknown recipients.
According to Chainalysis, it can't be ascertained whether the money from the French donor helped finance the rioting at the US Capitol Hill, "the timing certainly warrants suspicion."
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin investing into the Capitol Hill incident on Tuesday said noted that the investigations into the matter will be unprecedented with prosecutors treating it as a counterterrorism or counterintelligence investigation.
