Key facts
- An Iranian national with dual Iranian and Turkish citizenship was arrested in Montenegro.
- The arrest was a joint operation between Montenegrin police and the U.S. FBI.
- The individual is suspected of hacking attacks that damaged U.S. infrastructure by over $3.4 billion.
- The attacks targeted more than 150 universities in the United States starting in 2013.
- The suspect faces charges including conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft.
- Acquired data and access were allegedly used to benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian entities.
Montenegrin police, in collaboration with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, have arrested a 39-year-old Iranian national suspected of conducting extensive hacking operations against U.S. infrastructure. The individual, who holds dual Iranian and Turkish citizenship, is wanted by the Southern District Court in New York on charges including conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft.
The suspect was apprehended in the coastal resort town of Kotor. According to the Montenegrin police directorate, the hacking activities, which commenced in 2013, targeted over 150 universities across the United States and resulted in damages estimated at more than $3.4 billion. The acquired data and access to compromised university accounts were allegedly utilized for the benefit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other Iranian entities.
Following the arrest, the case will proceed to a High Court judge in Podgorica for extradition proceedings. This development underscores a history of state-sponsored cyber operations by Iran and the IRGC targeting the United States, a trend highlighted by recent warnings from U.S. cybersecurity, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies regarding escalating Iranian hacking campaigns against critical U.S. infrastructure.