Montenegro police, FBI arrest Iranian wanted by US for hacking

An Iranian national with dual Iranian and Turkish citizenship has been arrested in Montenegro, accused of orchestrating extensive cyberattacks against more than 150 universities in the United States. The operation, a joint effort between Montenegrin police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), targeted an individual believed to be responsible for significant damage to American academic infrastructure.

The suspect, aged 39, is wanted by the Southern District Court in New York. Charges against him include conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft. According to a statement from Montenegro’s police directorate, the alleged hacking campaign began in 2013 and resulted in estimated damages exceeding $3.4 billion.

The arrest took place in the Adriatic coastal resort town of Kotor. Extradition proceedings are now set to begin before a High Court judge in Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica. The acquired data and access to compromised university accounts were reportedly used to benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other Iranian entities, including universities.

This incident highlights a pattern of alleged state-sponsored cyber operations linked to Iran and the IRGC targeting the United States. In April, US cybersecurity, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies issued warnings about an escalation in Iranian hacking campaigns aimed at critical US infrastructure. The FBI has not yet released an immediate comment on the arrest.

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From 2013 onward, ... he carried out massive hacking attacks ... targeting more than 150 universities in the United States, causing damage estimated at over $3.4 billion.