Montenegrin police have arrested a 39-year-old Iranian national wanted by the United States for orchestrating mass hacking attacks that inflicted $3.4 billion in damage on American infrastructure. The arrest occurred on Thursday in the coastal town of Kotor, following a joint operation with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Details of the Arrest and Charges
The suspect, who holds dual Iranian and Turkish citizenship, is sought by a federal court in New York on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft, according to a police statement. Authorities tracked the man to Kotor, a popular tourist destination, where he was taken into custody at the request of the United States.
Montenegrin police revealed that the suspect carried out mass hacking attacks on US infrastructure from 2013 onward, targeting more than 150 universities. The illegally obtained data was subsequently used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian universities, the statement added.
Extradition Proceedings and Geopolitical Context
A court in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, will handle the extradition proceedings. Montenegro, a NATO member and close US ally, has a population of just 620,000 and is considered the next country in line to join the European Union.
The arrest underscores ongoing tensions between the US and Iran over cyber activities. The US has previously indicted Iranian nationals for hacking and cyberattacks targeting American entities, with the IRGC often implicated in such operations.
