John McAfee vows to unmask Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, then backs off

John McAfee, the eccentric antivirus pioneer known for his brushes with the law, said he has spoken with Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto and plans to reveal the person’s identity.

But the timing of the announcement is up in the air. After previously telling Bloomberg he would expose Nakamoto “within a week,” he backed off the plan. McAfee said Tuesday on Twitter the controversy could hurt his efforts to fight an extradition to the U.S.

The background of Nakamoto — a pseudonym that is thought to refer to a person or group of people — has been fiercely debated for years, with a long list of discredited theories fuelling suspicion Bitcoin’s pioneer is probably dead. In recent days, McAfee has said that Nakamoto is a man living in the US.