Public prosecutors in the Libyan city of Zliten have arrested 10 Chinese nationals for setting up an illegal crypto-mining operation in a disused iron factory on the western coast of Libya. “We are investigating two cryptocurrency mines in the jurisdictions of Tripoli and Misrata,” said the Attorney General’s office in a Facebook post. “10 Chinese nationals have been apprehended, who were found in possession of the computers performing complex calculations.”The devices and equipment found have been seized pending further investigation and the Chinese nationals held in custody, according to the statement. Disputed Tripoli-based Libyan prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah has even blamed the electricity blackouts on massive energy usage by bitcoin farms across the country. “Libya is a key global hotspot for digital currency factories,” said Dbeibah in July last year, promising to clamp down on their energy usage.

Source: Libya Today June 24, 2023 13:09 UTC