The Justice Department has indicted three current or former members of the Syrian Electronic Army, according to charges unsealed in Virginia on Tuesday.
Those indicted include 22-year-old Ahmad Umar Agha and 27-year-old Firas Dardar, who are also on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 10 Most Wanted List. The agency is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to their arrest. The third person indicted is 36-year-old Pierre Romar, who is believed to be in Germany.
Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2579018
The trio have been charged with hacking, attempting to cause mutiny within U.S. armed forces, and engaging in a hoax related to terrorism. The group is most notoriously known for hacking a Twitter account for the Associated Press in 2013 and sending out a fake message suggesting that the president had been injured by a bomb near the White House. The incident caused a crash in the U.S. stock market that was valued at close to $100 billion.
Other victims of the Syrian Electronic Army have included the Washington Post, Reuters, Human Rights Watch, NPR, CNN, The Onion, NBC, USA Today and the New York Post.
Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2570704
The group originated in 2011 to support Syrian President Bashar Assad. Its motives haven’t been as clear in recent years as the group has engaged in attacks geared more toward financial gain and lesser mischief.
