Australian billionaire Tim Heath escaped a planned aid in Estonia after a group of attackers attempted to force his digital assets in a coordinated operation.
According to local media, Heath had to physically fight the attackers during the ambush.
Heath, a longtime crypto investor originally from Victoria, founded the Estonia-based Yolo Group, which operates globally in the fintech, blockchain and online gambling sectors. He has lived in Tallinn for nearly 20 years and is estimated to have a net worth of over $2.2 billion.
The attempted aid took place on the night of July 29, 2023, on the stairs of a Heath apartment in Tallinn’s old town. As he entered the grounds, the painter was ambushing him, and two men who tried to push him into the van waiting for him were ambushed.
During the attack, one of the attackers, a former Greco-Roman wrestler, reportedly placed his hand on Heath’s mouth to silence him. Heath responded by biting the man’s index finger, becoming free and retreating to his apartment.
The court heard that some of the cut fingers were later recovered on the street. The attacker fled the scene shortly thereafter, abandoning the white van containing the forged documents and tools used in the scheme.
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Investigators allege that Aidation was part of a larger plot by a group of seven, with the assailants placing GPS devices in the car and tracking Heath’s movements for weeks through personal surveillance.
After travelling to Paris and Finland, they reportedly entered Estonia using forged Georgia passports and arrived in Tallinn a few days before the attempted lure. According to court documents, the group obtained the painter’s uniforms, cable ties, tape and other materials from the local hardware store in preparation for the ambush.
The attackers planned to transport Heath to a rental sauna home and force him to hold cryptocurrency under obsession. Hackers were also recruited to help extract funds.
Two of the suspects, Azerbaijan National Allahdi Allahdief and Georgian citizen Ilgar Mamedov, are currently on trial in Estonia. Meanwhile, three other suspects remain unidentified, and two people are being sought by police, including Najaf Najafri, a suspect organizer.
A few weeks after the abortion failed, Heath reportedly received a message via Telegram, which demanded 30 Bitcoin. The message included photos taken outside his residence.
No further contact will continue after he ignored demand, but prosecutors say the threat may persist. Heath has since changed homes, increased personal safety and spent more than 2.7 million euros on protection. His legal team is currently seeking compensation from the accused.
Surge in cases of code-induced induced
Over the past few months, several well-known temptations have surprised crypto investors around the world. In one case from May, two Manhattan crypto investors were arrested for capturing an Italian man in a gorgeous townhouse for 17 days, trying to access a Bitcoin wallet.
Another incident has been reported in Florida. There, three teenagers were charged with luring and stealing $4 million in digital assets and an NFT host.
In particular, France has witnessed a surge in code-inducing activities. Earlier this year, police intervened in another case that attempted to cut off the father of a crypto investor and acquiring the daughter of a Paris-based exchange CEO. Both incidents were tracked in the same network.
French authorities have arrested several suspects, including a man believed to be the mastermind captured in Morocco.
read more: France makes new arrests in an ongoing code temptation
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