Richard Heart Reportedly Detained in Istanbul

Turkish media reported that Richard Heart, the founder of the HEX cryptocurrency, was detained in Istanbul on October 14 in an operation linked to a Finnish-requested Interpol notice. The reported detention has not been confirmed publicly by Turkish, Finnish or Interpol authorities, and the available reports do not establish whether Heart remains in custody or faces extradition proceedings. The reports said police and intelligence personnel detained Heart in the Beşiktaş district. They linked the operation to a 2024 Interpol Red Notice requested by Finland. Such a notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest someone pending possible extradition or similar legal action; it is not an international arrest warrant. Finnish authorities reportedly suspect Heart of aggravated tax fraud. Finnish media reported that the investigation concerns differences between his tax filings and income assessed by Finland’s Tax Administration, and that a court remanded him in custody in absentia in September 2024. Heart has not been convicted of the allegations. The supplied reports also refer to an assault allegation, though accounts differ on whether it formed part of the notice itself.