Russian suspected hacker moves step closer to US extradition [View all]

[MelissaB]

Russian suspected hacker moves step closer to US extradition

FBI accuses Yevgeniy Nikulin of hacking LinkedIn, Formspring and Dropbox, and Russia has also filed extradition request

A Russian suspected hacker has moved a step closer to being sent to the US as a Czech judge gave tentative approval for an extradition to go ahead, during a court hearing held inside a high-security prison in Prague.

Yevgeniy Nikulin, who was arrested at a restaurant in the Czech capital last October and is accused by the FBI of massive hacks of US companies, appeared at the hearing pale and emaciated after eight months in solitary confinement.

The murky case has so far thrown up far more questions than answers, but one thing is clear: US authorities are determined to extradite the 29-year-old Muscovite, who drove a Lamborghini and socialised with the children of top Russian officials, and Moscow is determined to get him back, filing its own extradition request.
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The FBI accused Nikulin of responsibility for huge password hacks on LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring, in 2012. Nikulin’s arrest last October came three days before the Obama administration officially accused Russia of hacking the Democratic National Committee and interfering in the election.

More: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/30/suspected-russian-hacker-step-closer-to-us-extradition-yevgeniy-nikulin?CMP=share_btn_tw