Russian Hacker Suspected Of Cyberattacks In The US Arrested, Czech Police Say
PRAGUE (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Czech police say they have arrested a Russian hacker who is suspected of cyberattacks in the United States.
Police say an international warrant on the man, who was not named, was issued by the Interpol and that officers cooperated with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation on the case.
A brief police statement issued Tuesday said the man was arrested in a Prague hotel and that after the arrest he was hospitalized. It was not clear when the arrest took place and no further details were given.
Video released by the police showed the man, who was in the company of a young woman, being taken into custody at a restaurant, CBS News reported. Another video shows him being walked to a vehicle in handcuffs.
Both videos have a date stamp of Oct. 5, 2016. On Wednesday, U.S. law enforcement and justice sources told CBS News they were not aware of the arrest.
A court will now have to decide on his extradition to the United States. Justice Department officials in Washington said they were unaware of the arrest or any extradition request, CBS News reported.
It's unclear if the suspect is thought to be connected to cyberattacks on Democratic Party servers.
Hillary Clinton Campaign Spokesman Glen Caplin said last week it's "clear" that the hacking of Campaign Chairman John Podesta's email "is the work of the Russian government."
He attributed that to the FBI, though the bureau has not said so publicly.
WikiLeaks has said it has some 50,000 Clinton campaign emails linked to Podesta and began releasing them back on Oct. 7.
Podesta said the FBI contacted him and confirmed it was investigating the hacking of his account as part of the ongoing probe in other Democratic Party hackings by groups with Russian ties.
Intelligence officials have said they believed the individuals responsible are working for Russian intelligence and coordinating with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on the political hacking.
Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak has dismissed the accusations as untrue, saying, "We don't interfere (in) the internal affairs of the United States, neither by my statements nor by electronic or other means."
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)