Montenegro Detains Iranian Suspect in US University Hacking Case
Montenegrin police have arrested a 39-year-old Iranian-Turkish national accused of hacking over 150 US universities, causing an estimated $3.4 billion in damages. He faces extradition to the United States.
Police in Montenegro arrested a 39-year-old Iranian-Turkish national on Thursday in the coastal town of Kotor, in an operation carried out with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The suspect, identified only as A.B., is wanted by a court in New York on charges including computer fraud, hacking, identity theft, and organized crime, according to a police statement.
Montenegrin authorities alleged that since 2013, the suspect carried out "massive hacking attacks" on U.S. infrastructure, targeting more than 150 universities. The stolen data and compromised university accounts were allegedly used for the benefit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian beneficiaries, including universities. The attacks caused more than $3.4 billion (€2.98 billion) in damage, U.S. authorities said.
The suspect is expected to appear before a court in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, which will decide on the U.S. extradition request. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted nine Iranian nationals for hacking universities and other organizations to steal academic research and data. U.S. authorities have not confirmed whether the latest arrest is linked to that case.
