Lugano authorities recover Satoshi Nakamoto statue that was thrown in lake

A statue honoring pseudonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto was recovered by city authorities in Lugano, Switzerland after it was apparently wrested from its podium and thrown in a nearby lake. 

Satoshigallery, which has installed copies of the statue in El Salvador and Japan with plans for eighteen more, thanked the city authorities in an announcement post on X. The statue was designed by Italian artist Valentina Picozzi and pays homage to Satoshi's pseudonymity through a see-through design. 

X user Gritto had speculated that a group of youngsters had thrown the statue, which was only welded to the podium at two points, into the nearby lake.

Satoshigallery offered a 0.1 reward for the return of its statue.

The gallery had previously offered a 0.1 BTC reward (currently about $11,400) for the return of the statue. Satoshigallery told The Block that since the police recovered the statue, no one will receive the reward. 

A Change.org petition was launched to request support from city officials to restore the statue. "The artist and his Satoshigallery will cover the costs of remaking and supplying the statue, provided it is displayed safely," a translation of the petition's statement reads. The petition was shared by Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino on X.