Bitcoin Exchange Hit By Armed Robbers in Thwarted Theft

Ottawa police are seeking two suspects after an attempted armed robbery at a cryptocurrency exchange.

Three people entered the offices of Canadian Bitcoins in Ottawa carrying handguns and restrained four employees on Tuesday morning, according to CBC News. At that point, they attempted to compel one of the employees to make an outbound transaction from the exchange. A fifth employee called police before any assets could be taken, police told the news service.

One suspect has been arrested and charged, according to police. The charges include robbery with a firearm and forcible confinement.

The names of the suspects were not released.

CBC News reported in a Facebook post that the suspects were looking for physical cash, but other armed robberies have successfully made off with cryptocurrency wallets.

The New York District Attorney's Office filed armed robbery and kidnapping charges against New Jersey native Louis Meza after he allegedly stole more than $1.8 million of ether last November. In the filing, the DA's office claimed Meza held his victim at gunpoint, forcing him to turn over a cell phone and private keys, which he used to access the victim's digital wallet.

Ottawa police image via jiawangkun / Shutterstock