Overview
- Montenegrin police, with FBI involvement, arrested a 39-year-old dual Iranian-Turkish national in Kotor on June 26, 2026, on a U.S. request for cybercrime charges.
- U.S. prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have charged the suspect with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft and are seeking his extradition.
- Authorities say the accused ran a long-running campaign from 2013 that compromised more than 150 U.S. universities and caused an estimated $3.4 billion in damage.
- Montenegrin officials allege the stolen data and access to university accounts were used to benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian entities.
- The case will be presented to a High Court judge in Podgorica for extradition hearings, and further technical attribution and U.S. prosecutorial filings will shape next steps and diplomatic fallout.