Iranian Hacker Arrested in Montenegro Over Massive U.S. Cyberattacks

Montenegrin police, working with the FBI, have arrested an Iranian man accused of cyberattacks that damaged U.S. infrastructure by an estimated $3.4 billion. Police said the suspect, 39-year-old Amir Barati, was detained in the Adriatic resort town of Kotor.

Barati holds dual Iranian and Turkish citizenship and is wanted by a New York court on charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft. According to Montenegrin police, he had been carrying out large-scale intrusions since 2013.

Authorities said the attacks targeted more than 150 universities in the United States and caused the reported $3.4 billion in losses. The police statement said the case will now be sent to a judge at the High Court in Podgorica, Montenegro's capital, for extradition proceedings.

Montenegrin police also said data obtained from the breaches, along with access to compromised university accounts, was used for the benefit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian entities, including universities.