A 38-year-old tech executive in San Francisco has been arrested over the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee, whose killing sent shockwaves through the tech community.

Nima Momeni, the founder of software company Expand IT, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of murdering Lee, who was stabbed to death in downtown San Francisco last week.

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told a news conference that Momeni and Lee were known to each other but declined to discuss a possible motive or why the two men were together on the night in question.

Lee’s killing shocked California’s startup community and reignited debate about public safety in San Francisco, with Tesla founder Elon Musk decrying the violent crime situation in the city as “horrific”.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins on Thursday hit back at Musk, accusing him of making reckless statements that assume “incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee’s death, serve to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco and also negatively impact the pursuit of justice for victims of crime.”

A well-known figure in California’s tech scene, Lee helped to develop Google’s Android platform while working at the search engine giant.

Lee later went on to co-found Cash App, an alternative to traditional banking, while working as the chief technology officer for Square, now known as Block. In 2021, Lee joined MobileCoin as Chief Product Officer.

Momeni is expected to appear in court on Friday.

Momeni’s LinkedIn profile describes himself as an IT consultant and entrepreneur. California business filings with the state list Momeni as the chief executive officer, secretary and chief financial officer of the information technology consulting business Expand IT. (Al Jazeera)

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