Key facts
- An Iranian national with dual Iranian and Turkish citizenship was arrested in Montenegro by police with FBI assistance.
- The suspect is accused of hacking over 150 U.S. universities since 2013, causing an estimated $3.4 billion in damages.
- Charges include conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft.
- Stolen data allegedly benefited Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian entities.
- The U.S. has requested the suspect's extradition.
Montenegrin police, in collaboration with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, have arrested a 39-year-old Iranian national with dual Iranian and Turkish citizenship suspected of conducting extensive hacking operations against U.S. infrastructure. The suspect, identified as A.B., was detained in Kotor and is wanted by the Southern District Court in New York on charges including conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft.
Authorities allege that from 2013 onwards, the suspect carried out "massive hacking attacks" on U.S. infrastructure, including more than 150 universities, causing damages estimated at over $3.4 billion. The stolen data and compromised university accounts were allegedly used for the benefit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian beneficiaries. The U.S. has requested the suspect's extradition.
This arrest highlights ongoing concerns about state-sponsored cyber operations by Iran targeting critical U.S. infrastructure, a trend that U.S. cybersecurity, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies have warned about.