Kenyan law enforcement recently detained two Worldcoin executives as they attempted to depart the country. According to the Kenyan Interior Minister, the duo were eventually let go after the U.S. government’s intervention.
U.S. Government Reportedly Intervenes in Worldcoin-Related Detainment Attempt
The Kenyan Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki has said the U.S. government recently foiled local law enforcement’s attempts to arrest and detain Worldcoin executives. According to a report in The Nation, the U.S. insisted that the departing executives had not done anything wrong to warrant the arrest. However, the U.S. government undertook to avail the executives as and when they were needed.
As reported by Bitcoin.com News, Kenyan authorities have been coming down hard on the crypto project. However, in their attempt to appease the Kenyan government, the Worldcoin representatives led by Alex Blania recently appeared before a parliament committee tasked with investigating the crypto project’s activities.
Confirming the botched plan to indefinitely hold Blania and his fellow Worldcoin executives, Kindiki said:
“They [Worldcoin executives] tried to leave the country but were stopped and put in custody. However, the U.S. government intervened saying they should be allowed to leave because they haven’t yet been found guilty of committing a crime and gave an undertaking that it will produce them when required.”
According to the report, Thomas Scott, the legal spokesperson for Tools for Humanity, is the other Worldcoin representative who was detained along with Blania.
The Kenyan government’s attempt to arrest the duo came just days after Kindiki sought to tie crypto-related activities to money laundering and terror funding. During his own appearance before the parliament’s investigating committee, Kindiki reportedly said the Worldcoin debacle vindicates his government’s stance towards cryptocurrencies in general.
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