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Norway Bitcoin Investor Murder: Suspect Arrested in France

Last Updated March 4, 2021 3:03 PM
Josiah Wilmoth
Last Updated March 4, 2021 3:03 PM

Makaveli Lindén, the primary suspect in the gruesome murder of 24-year-old Norwegian bitcoin investor Heikki Bjørklund Paltto, is in police custody following a successful international manhunt.

Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet  reports that Oslo police have confirmed that Lindén, 20, has been captured more than a week after he allegedly stabbed Paltto to death in the latter’s apartment in Oslo’s Majorstuen neighborhood.

Lindén, a foreign national residing in Uppsala, Sweden, had fled Norway following the murder, allegedly returning to his home city before leaving Sweden as well. According to local reports, the suspect was ultimately arrested in France, though Norwegian police have not yet confirmed this publicly.

Initially, the crime appeared connected to Paltto’s cryptocurrency investments, which had reportedly made him hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits. Sources within the local police department said that he had sold a large amount of bitcoin shortly before the murder, and other sources said that he may have been planning to use the funds — which he was keeping in his residence — to purchase an apartment.

However, Lindén’s alleged involvement in the incident has led police to believe that Paltto may have just been a random victim. The 20-year-old suspect, who had a long rap sheet related to theft and drug abuse convictions, is also alleged to have committed another robbery at knife-point not far from the murder scene.

Featured Image from local police/VG