Blockstream Refuses Ransom for Missing Liquid Bitcoin, Calls It Theft

Blockstream's refusal to pay reframes this as a criminal matter rather than a negotiated bug bounty, which hardens the standoff over the missing BTC. The distinction matters because it removes any implied path to recovery through payment, leaving the return of funds as the only stated resolution. For users, the split is the real signal: block production resuming shows the chain itself can run, while frozen peg operations show the bridge — the part that connects Liquid to bitcoin — remains the unresolved risk. Whether peg operations unfreeze without the coins being returned is the open question.