London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

BitCoin blackmailer who threatened to blow up NHS hospital sentenced

BitCoin blackmailer who threatened to blow up NHS hospital sentenced

A Dark Web blackmailer who threatened to blow up a British hospital at the start of the pandemic if a £10 million BitCoin ransom was not paid has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Emil Apreda, a 33-year-old Italian national living in Germany, posed as a member of neo-Nazi group Combat 18, sending a string of emails claiming he would plant a bomb in one of Britain’s hospitals.

In messages to NHS and the National Crime Agency using an alias, he demanded the £10 million BitCoin ransom between April and June last year, as hospitals were stretched to breaking point by the coronavirus pandemic.

As law enforcement agencies around Europe joined forced to try to trace him, Apreda threatened to target Black Lives Matters demonstrations and British MPs if his demands were not met.

He was eventually captured on June 15, a day before his time limit for paying the ransom was due to expire.

Apreda was put on trial in a German court, and today was convicted of attempted extortion and handed a three-year prison sentence.

Nigel Leary, the Deputy Director of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit who led the manhunt for Apreda, said the bomb threats posed a real threat to the live of hospital patients, even though Apreda did not actually plant a bomb.

“We recognised the NHS during the first national lockdown was at full tilt keeping us as safe as we could be”, he said.

“A mere phone call into the NHS making a threat at this time could have resulted in loss of life.


“Not a threat to life but actual loss of life, as it was impossible to evacuate someone when they needed use of a ventilator to keep them alive.”

Apreda adopted the far right ideology to issue the threats, targeting the British health service despite having no known links to the UK.

The computer expert, who is single and does not have children, sent 18 emails in total, using sophisticated encryption to hide his identity.

He evolved the threat following the death in the US of George Floyd, latching on to the Black Lives Matters protests as a new possible target.

The NCA said he widened the targeted to include MPs around the anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox.

Apreda’s electronic trail eventually led to his home in Berlin, and a raid was carried out in connection with Germany police on the eve of his deadline to detonate a bomb.

Investigations showed he had no access to explosives and is not a neo-Nazi, and is believed to have targeted the NHS due to its “vulnerability at the time”.

Tim Court, head of investigations at the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “This occurred in late April, early May. We had seen the collapse or near collapse of the Italian healthcare system under the pressure of the population attending hospitals and, sadly, in America we’d seen a significant rise in far-right extremist activity.

“In that context of a far-right surge, a worldwide pandemic and a vulnerable healthcare system that was valiantly fighting its own battles, we recognised we had to step in pretty quickly and make sure everything that could be done was done.”

Apreda was released on bail until the conviction has been ratified by the courts. The verdict is not immediately binding and can be appealed within a week under German law.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×