Iranian suspect extradited to the US in alleged Mabna hacking case

His extradition gives prosecutors a rare chance to test charges tied to a years-long campaign and alleged losses above $3.4 billion.

Amir Barati, an Iranian-Turkish man accused in a large state-backed hacking operation, was extradited from Montenegro to the United States on October 1, giving U.S. prosecutors a rare chance to pursue an alleged Iranian cyber actor in court. He and 16 other Iranians were indicted in August on wire and computer fraud charges in the Southern District of New York, with the indictment tying them to Mabna Institute, an Iran-based company. Investigators say the campaign started in 2013, stole more than 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property, and compromised 8,000 email accounts. The alleged victims included 144 universities, 42 private companies, five U.S. government agencies, 178 universities and 11 companies abroad, plus at least two NGOs, with reported losses above $3.4 billion. Court filings say Barati helped follow the university intrusions and assemble targeting lists for private-sector targets.