In a surprising turn of events, Julian Assange's Bitcoin wallet received a donation of $500,000 from an unidentified benefactor, as per on-chain data. This donation came after Assange's release from the UK's high-security Belmarsh prison, following a plea deal with U.S. authorities.

The donation, equivalent to 8.2 BTC, was transferred from a multisignature wallet to Assange's Bitcoin donation address, as displayed on the freeassange.org website. The funds were crucial in covering Assange's debt to the Australian government, which he incurred due to travel restrictions that necessitated the use of a charter flight for his court appearance and subsequent return to Australia.

While the Bitcoin community remains speculative about the identity of the donor, two individuals have indirectly hinted at their involvement. Internet personality Andrew Tate responded with a gift emoji to a tweet highlighting the transaction, while Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey tweeted "Safe passage through" at the exact time the transaction was processed. Dorsey's company, Block, is known for its numerous Bitcoin infrastructure initiatives and his support for Bitcoin developers.