{"id":87079,"date":"2026-06-26T02:16:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T06:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/montenegro-fbi-nab-iranian-national-accused-of-3-4b-u-s-hacking-spree\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T02:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T06:16:14","slug":"montenegro-fbi-nab-iranian-national-accused-of-3-4b-u-s-hacking-spree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/montenegro-fbi-nab-iranian-national-accused-of-3-4b-u-s-hacking-spree\/","title":{"rendered":"Montenegro &#038; FBI Nab Iranian National Accused of $3.4B U.S. Hacking Spree"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782454573743.png?resize=1920%2C1080&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-87078\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782454573743.png?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782454573743.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782454573743.png?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782454573743.png?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782454573743.png?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Montenegrin police, working alongside the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, have arrested an Iranian national suspected of carrying out cyberattacks that caused an estimated $3.4 billion in damage to U.S. infrastructure, according to officials in Montenegro.<\/p><p>The suspect, a 39-year-old man holding both Iranian and Turkish citizenship, is being sought by the Southern District Court in New York. He faces charges that include conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft.<\/p><p>Authorities say he was taken into custody in Kotor, a coastal resort town along the Adriatic Sea. Montenegro&#8217;s police directorate confirmed the arrest on Thursday.<\/p><p>In an official statement, police said that &#8220;from 2013 onward, &#8230; he carried out massive hacking attacks &#8230; targeting more than 150 universities in the United States, causing damage estimated at over $3.4 billion.&#8221;<\/p><p>The stolen data and access to compromised university accounts were reportedly used for the benefit of Iran&#8217;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as other Iranian institutions, including universities, police said.<\/p><p>The case is now expected to go before a High Court judge in Montenegro&#8217;s capital city of Podgorica, where extradition proceedings will take place.<\/p><p>The FBI had not responded to requests for comment at the time of this report.<\/p><p>Iran and the IRGC have a well-documented history of state-sponsored cyber operations aimed at the United States. In April, U.S. cybersecurity, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies issued a warning about a growing wave of Iranian hacking campaigns targeting critical American infrastructure.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A joint operation between Montenegrin police and the FBI has led to the arrest of an Iranian national accused of massive cyberattacks against American universities. The 39-year-old, who holds dual Iranian and Turkish citizenship, is wanted by a federal court in New York on charges of computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft. Authorities say the stolen data was used to benefit Iran&#8217;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":87078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782454573743.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-mEv","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40258,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/iranian-hackers-quickly-restore-website-after-fbi-domain-seizure\/","url_meta":{"origin":87079,"position":0},"title":"Iranian Hackers Quickly Restore Website After FBI Domain Seizure","author":"Admin","date":"March 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A hacking group linked to Iran's intelligence ministry has restored its website just one day after the FBI seized its internet domains. The group, known as Handala Hack Team, had claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Michigan medical device company Stryker earlier this month.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;U.S. News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774041742230.jpg?fit=450%2C277&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":43439,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/iranian-hackers-target-fbi-director-kash-patels-personal-email-account\/","url_meta":{"origin":87079,"position":1},"title":"Iranian Hackers Target FBI Director Kash Patel&#8217;s Personal Email Account","author":"Admin","date":"March 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A pro-Iranian hacking group called Handala claims responsibility for breaching FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email account. The hackers published old photos and documents online, including personal travel records and business materials dating back over a decade.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774629505683.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774629505683.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774629505683.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774629505683.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35389,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/iranian-cyber-groups-expand-attacks-on-us-companies-infrastructure-during-conflict\/","url_meta":{"origin":87079,"position":2},"title":"Iranian Cyber Groups Expand Attacks on US Companies, Infrastructure During Conflict","author":"Admin","date":"March 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cybersecurity experts warn that Iranian-backed hacking groups are increasingly targeting American businesses and critical infrastructure as regional conflicts escalate. The hackers recently claimed responsibility for attacking medical device company Stryker and are focusing on defense contractors, power grids, and water systems.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;U.S. News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773340656721.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773340656721.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773340656721.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773340656721.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41123,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/israel-weaponized-irans-own-surveillance-cameras-to-target-supreme-leader\/","url_meta":{"origin":87079,"position":3},"title":"Israel Weaponized Iran&#8217;s Own Surveillance Cameras to Target Supreme Leader","author":"Admin","date":"March 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Israeli forces successfully hacked Iran's extensive street camera network to track and kill Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February. 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