Ethereum Developer Arrested in Türkiye

• Arrest sparks debate on criminalization of blockchain developers
• Authorities accuse Ethereum of allowing misuse
• Community questions security at Devcon 2026 in Istanbul

Turkish authorities arrested an Ethereum developer known as Fede's Intern in Izmir, in a case that sparked strong backlash from the cryptocurrency community. The arrest was revealed by the developer himself on August 10th and is shrouded in uncertainty, as few details about the charges have been released.

I'm in Turkey, Izmir. They are telling my lawyer that I helped people to misuse I @ethere and I might have a charge. You can imagine what it means. It's obviously wrong, we are just infra builders.

I can't say much because I don't have information and I don't know if I will…

— Fede's intern 🥊 (@fede_intern) August 10, 2025

According to Fede's Intern, authorities have accused him of "helping people misuse Ethereum." So far, no concrete examples or public evidence have been presented. In a statement, the developer warned that such allegations could set dangerous precedents: "Privacy is not a crime. Go after violators, not builders."

He stated his willingness to cooperate with the Turkish government and any other jurisdiction, denying having facilitated illicit activities. "I am completely open to cooperating with any authorities in Turkey or any other country. We are not helping anyone do anything, but we will also defend ourselves," he said. The programmer also reported that authorities attempted to seize his phone, citing a security risk, and that they expected it to be released within a few hours.

So we now have more information. The minister of internal affairs of Turkey is saying I helped people misuse I @ethere . I'm fully open to cooperate with any authorities from Turkey or any country, we didn't help anyone do anything, but we will also defend ourselves.

— Fede's intern 🥊 (@fede_intern) August 10, 2025

The incident follows the conviction of Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm for operating an unlicensed money transfer service, a crime that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. These cases have raised alarms about increasing legal pressure against blockchain developers.

Industry figures have expressed concern. Ryan Sean Adams, founder of the Bankless platform, called the situation "very concerning" and questioned whether Istanbul remains a safe choice to host Ethereum's Devcon 2026 conference.

Rasit Tavus, CEO of LegalBlock, suggested that the arrest may be related to alerts issued by international agencies like Interpol or Europol, rather than directly to local authorities. "I can easily say that it has no connection with Turkey, as the law enforcement officer would have arrested the builder at border control. Most likely, there's something wrong with Interpol or Europol, and the Turkish authorities are waiting for additional information to decide what to do," he stated.

The case reinforces the global debate about the extent to which regulators and law enforcement agencies can intervene in the work of developers building open-source tools in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.