The US Department of Justice announced that a federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced Syrian Ahmed Omar Agha to 42 months in prison after convicting him of participating in a conspiracy to carry out cyberattacks targeting media institutions, companies, international organizations, and government entities, in order to serve the tyrannical regime.
The Ministry stated in a statement published on its official website that Agha, known by the alias (Th3Pr0), was involved for over a decade in hacking operations targeting approximately 47 entities, including Western media institutions, companies, non-governmental organizations, and American and allied government entities, before appearing in court after years of being pursued.
Cyber attacks targeting 47 American and international entities
According to court documents, Agha participated in a conspiracy led by individuals from the close circle of the tyrannical regime's leader, including officials in its intelligence agencies, and was carried out during the period from August 24, 2011, to January 31, 2024. The Ministry explained that the attacks aimed to silence media outlets that published reports on the tyrannical regime's violations during the Arab Spring and the Syrian Revolution, intimidate opponents, spread disinformation, collect intelligence for its benefit, and attempt to incite individuals in the US Army to refuse military orders.
Media disinformation and attempts to influence US military institutions
The Ministry pointed out that one of Agha's most prominent operations was hacking an international news agency's account on the "Twitter" platform in April 2013, and publishing a false news report about two explosions at the White House and the injury of then-US President Barack Obama, which led to a temporary drop in the value of stocks listed on the "Dow Jones" industrial index, and a decline in market value of approximately 136 billion dollars. Court documents indicated that the attacks caused financial and technical losses to the targeted entities, with one company incurring losses of approximately 35,000 dollars daily for six months, while an international non-governmental organization spent approximately 480,000 dollars to restructure its security systems, update network monitoring tools, and retrain more than 800 employees.
Agha also managed to hack the company hosting the recruitment website for the US Marine Corps, and redirect website visitors to a page containing messages inciting soldiers to refuse their orders and fight alongside the tyrannical regime's army, with the content viewed by approximately 3,500 potential visitors. He added that Agha attempted twice to seize the White House's social media accounts by stealing login credentials for employees' email accounts, and succeeded in one of the attempts in accessing one of the accounts, without obtaining access rights to the official accounts.
US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said: "Agha used his hacking skills to serve the tyrannical regime, silence reports exposing its violations, and intimidate its opponents," noting that the attacks he carried out targeted press freedom, and US national and economic security. For her part, the First Assistant US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Theophani K. Stamoss, emphasized the importance of protecting electronic infrastructure, financial markets, and companies, stressing the pursuit of anyone targeting these institutions or endangering national security. For her part, FBI Assistant Director in Washington, Darin B. Cox, said: "The sentence sends a clear message to perpetrators of cyberattacks against US institutions, journalists, and government entities, that those involved will be held accountable no matter how long they evade justice."
Judicial pursuit began in 2014 and ended with a prison sentence
US authorities indicted Agha and his Syrian partner, Firas Dardar, on May 17, 2018, following the filing of an initial complaint against them on June 12, 2014, while Dardar remains at large. In a separate case, Dardar was charged in 2015 with unauthorized access to and destruction of computer systems, extortion, money laundering, electronic fraud, and violation of sanctions imposed on Syria, in conjunction with Syrian Peter Romar, who was surrendered to the United States from Germany and pleaded guilty in September 2016. The FBI in Washington took charge of investigating the case in coordination with competent authorities, while prosecutors from the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Cybersecurity Division of the Department of Justice took charge of the prosecution.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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