Montenegro, FBI arrest alleged Iranian hacker wanted by US

In a joint operation by the Montenegrin Police and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Amir Barati (39), was arrested in Kotor.

The United States accuses him of carrying out cyberattacks that caused an estimated $3.4 billion in damage to U.S. infrastructure, Montenegro's Police Directorate announced, CE Report quotes HINA.

According to the statement, officers from Interpol Podgorica, specifically members of the FAST (Fugitive Active Search Team) for international targeted manhunts, arrested A.B. (39), a citizen of Turkey and Iran, in the municipality of Kotor on Thursday. He is described as a high-profile cybercrime and organized crime fugitive, wanted to ensure his presence in criminal proceedings currently underway against him in the United States before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on multiple charges.

The Montenegrin police said that the arrested Amir Barati has been charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse, as well as aggravated identity theft.

"Beginning in 2013, as an associate of a legal entity based in Iran, he conducted large-scale cyberattacks against infrastructure in the United States, targeting more than 150 universities across the country and causing damages estimated at more than $3.4 billion," the police statement said.

It added that the stolen data, along with access to compromised university accounts, were used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other Iranian users, including universities based in Iran.

The statement further noted that the suspect will be brought before an investigating judge of the High Court in Podgorica within the legally prescribed time frame for further extradition proceedings to the United States.

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