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The Russian suspect was arrested in a Prague hotel. Photograph: Westend61/Getty Images/Westend61
The Russian suspect was arrested in a Prague hotel. Photograph: Westend61/Getty Images/Westend61

Russian alleged hacker arrested in Prague over cyber-attacks in US

This article is more than 7 years old
  • Czech police acted on Interpol warrant with cooperation from FBI
  • Moscow demands suspect be handed over to Russia

Czech police have arrested a Russian hacker suspected of cyber-attacks in the United States, officials said on Wednesday.

Police said an international warrant for the man, who was not named, was issued by Interpol and that officers cooperated with the FBI on the case.

A police spokesman, Jozef Bocan, said the man was arrested in a Prague hotel. After the arrest the suspect collapsed, received first aid treatment and was hospitalized, Bocan said.

Another police spokesman, David Schoen, told the Associated Press the arrest took place on 5 October and that police delayed releasing information about it for “tactical” reasons.

Police video from the arrest, obtained by the AP, identified the man only as Yevgeniy N.

In a statement on Wednesday, the FBI said the man was “suspected of conducting criminal activities targeting US interests” but gave no more details. “As cybercrime can originate anywhere in the world, international cooperation is crucial to successfully defeat cyber adversaries,” it said.

Prague’s municipal court will now have to decide on his extradition to the United States, with the justice minister, Robert Pelikan, having the final say. Russian officials, however, are demanding that the suspect be handed over to them.

Spokeswoman Marketa Puci said the court ruled on 12 October that the man will remain in detention until the extradition hearing. No date has yet been set.

US authorities have two months to deliver to their Czech counterparts all the documents necessary for the Czech authorities to decide on the extradition request. Stepanka Zenklova, spokeswoman for Prague’s state prosecution authority, said US officials have not officially asked for the man’s extradition.

Russia’s Tass and RIA Novosti news agencies quoted Prague’s Russian embassy spokesman, Alexey Kolmakov, as saying that it was insisting that the suspect be handed over to Russia.

“The embassy has been taking all necessary efforts to protect the interests of this Russian citizen. We are in contact with his attorney,” the embassy statement said.
“Russia repudiates Washington’s policy of imposing its extraterritorial jurisdiction on all countries. We insist that the detainee is handed over to Russia.”

A Czech justice ministry spokeswoman, Tereza Schejbalova, said no official request had been received from Russia in this case.

The US has accused Russia of coordinating the theft and disclosure of emails from the Democratic National Committee and other institutions and individuals in the US to influence the outcome of the election. Russia has vigorously denied that. There was no indication this case had anything to do with that accusation.

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