Although he has not yet been charged with a crime, Alexey Pertsev, the creator of the US-approved Ethereum-based cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash, will have to serve at least 90 days in jail.
The Tornado Cash developer’s arrest has angered and alarmed the cryptocurrency community, which thinks that such a move might have major repercussions for other free software creators.
The Dutch court determined to detain Pertsev for an additional 90 days. The judge denied Pertsev’s application for bail. Within 90 days, there should be a first public hearing.
Authorities from the Netherlands detained Pertsev in Amsterdam. He is suspected of supporting money laundering using Tornado Cash and facilitating illegal financial flows.
Crypto proponents worry that such a move may lead to a surge of arrests of programmers of free software who have little control over how their codes are utilized.
