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Thai police on the resort island of Phuket have arrested a suspected Russian hacker wanted by the FBI on allegations he was behind cyberattacks on US and European government agencies, officials said on Thursday.
The 35-year-old, who entered Thailand on 30 October, was taken into custody earlier this month at his hotel and is now being held pending possible extradition, police said.
The suspect’s name was not released, but Russian state-run media identified him as Denis Obrezko, a native of Stavropol.
It reported that his relatives confirmed his 6 November arrest and were planning to fight his extradition to the United States.
In an email on Thursday, the US Department of Justice declined to comment on possible extradition or provide any other details. The State Department and US officials in Thailand also declined to comment.
The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian embassy in Thailand also did not respond to requests for comment.
Ilya Ilyin, head of the consular section of the Russian embassy in Thailand, told Russian state-run news agencies on Monday that Russian diplomats had visited the suspect in prison in Bangkok.
“Embassy staff conducted a consular visit to the Russian citizen detained at the request of the United States,” Ilyin said, adding that the embassy was arranging for him to be able to meet with his relatives.
Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau said in a statement on 12 November that an FBI tip that the “world-class hacker” was travelling to Thailand led to his arrest in Phuket on an international warrant.
In the raid on his hotel, police seized laptops, mobile phones and digital wallets, the police statement said, adding that FBI officials were on hand for the arrest.
Several media outlets reported a second Russian hacking suspect wanted by the FBI, who has ties to Russian military intelligence, had been arrested in Phuket the following day, but Thai police said there had only been one arrest.
The formal request for the suspect’s extradition has been made but it was not clear how long the process would take.
Additional sources • AP