The alleged “IntelBroker” hacker charged by US authorities this week was reportedly arrested by UK police seven years in the past over hoax bomb threats despatched to 1000’s of faculties.
That’s in response to malware reporters vx-underground, who obtained an nameless tip from somebody claiming to have attended the identical UK college as Kai West, the 25-year-old accused of stealing and promoting non-public on-line knowledge.
The supply claims that West — also referred to as “PartialDuplex” — was arrested in 2018 whereas a part of one other group known as “Apophis Squad.”
Certainly, footage from the Nationwide Crime Company seems to indicate a younger West being arrested for a bomb hoax.
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Whereas vx-underground’s supply claims West was 17 on the time, a police press release revealed days earlier than the NCA footage was shared on X suggests an 18-year-old becoming the nameless sources’ claims was arrested.
The US indictment accuses West of inflicting $25 million value of damages to victims of his alleged data-stealing operation. The US is searching for his extradition by French authorities who arrested him final February.
West usually accepted fee of Monero for the stolen knowledge however was satisfied by an secret agent to make one transaction with $250 value of bitcoin (BTC) as an alternative. This allowed authorities to hint his BTC to Ramp, the place his account was registered together with his driving license.
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Numerous different youngsters had been additionally arrested over the identical bomb hoaxes and connections to Apophis Squad.
George Duke-Cohan, who was 19 on the time, despatched phony bomb threats to 1,700 faculties in March 2018. A US indictment accused him of ringing up a number of FBI workplaces to unfold rumours of a lethal pathogen within the workplace whereas additionally threatening to rape the wives of the employees there.
UK authorities arrested him days after his March bomb threats, however he despatched one other spherical of threats in April that 12 months. Duke-Cohan was ultimately sentenced to 3 years in jail in September 2018.
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