Australian Wright gives up proving he is Satoshi Nakamoto and apologizes to his supporters

Craig Wright, the Australian academic who on Monday frantically tried to prove to the media that he was Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, now has a surprising turn of events, saying he will not provide the evidence as previously stated, but still insists that he did not deceive.

Two days ago, Wright said he planned to prove his identity by taking control of early-mined bitcoins, according to a representative.

The controversy began on Monday when the BBC, The Economist and GQ magazine published interviews with Wright in an attempt to support his claims. The news was quickly criticized, with many further analyzing the evidence he has presented so far and accusing Wright of replacing his facts.

And now, Wright says he will not provide further evidence, saying the decision was prompted by "new allegations" against him.

In a new blog post, Wright wrote:

"I believed I could do this, I believed I could end the years of hiding and hiding. But after the events of this week, as I prepared to publish the proof of access to the initial keys, I failed. I don't have the courage, I can't do it."

He went on to write that he was concerned that the move would cause “harm” to those who helped him and the media, specifically calling out Bitcoin Foundation founding director Jon Matonis and former Bitcoin Core maintainer Gavin Andresen , both of whom have supported Wright in their respective blogs.

"I just hope their honor and credibility will not be tarnished by my actions. They didn't lie, but I know the world won't believe it," Wright continued. "I can only say sorry and goodbye."

Two other blog posts, including the most recent one indicating Wright’s plans to move early bitcoins, have been deleted. Representatives declined to comment further when contacted by a reporter.