Russian hacker arrested in Prague for attacks on the US

Czech police in collaboration with the FBI announced the arrest of a Russian hacker allegedly involved in attacks on the US. The arrest was made on Oc. 5, 12 hours after Interpol released the arrest warrant.

The man, who had been living an opulent life in Prague, was taken off guard by the arrest and fainted, according to the police. He received medical care at the local hospital. Details such as his name or potential involvement in the DNC hack have not yet been revealed. The FBI has asked Czech authorities to extradite him to the US.

The arrest is part of an international effort to take down the alleged Russian criminal group responsible for hacks of the Democratic servers and of voting systems, among others. US intelligence points fingers at Russian officials, accusing them of seeking to interfere with the US presidential election in November, but the government denies involvement.

“The recent disclosures of alleged hacked emails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts,” said James R. Clapper Jr., US Director of national intelligence. “Only Russia”s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.”