In Kotor, Montenegrin police, together with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, detained a 39-year-old citizen of Iran and Turkey, who is wanted by American authorities in a large-scale cybercrime case, reports the Serbian Economist Telegram channel.
According to the police, the man was detained in the coastal city of Kotor at the request of the United States and the FBI. He is wanted by the court of the Southern District of New York on charges related to computer fraud, hacker attacks and the theft of personal data.
Investigators claim that since 2013 the suspect has participated in large-scale cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure, including more than 150 American universities. The alleged damage is estimated at more than $3.4 billion.
According to the version of the Montenegrin police, the stolen data and access to compromised university accounts were used in the interests of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian structures, including universities.
The case has been handed over to a judge of the High Court in Podgorica, who will consider the issue of extraditing the detainee to the United States.
An official comment from the FBI could not be obtained by Reuters at the time of publication.
The arrest in Kotor became one of the most notable international episodes in the fight against cybercrimes related to attacks on educational and research infrastructure.
