U.S. charges three Syrian hackers, Justice Department says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. authorities have charged three Syrian nationals who are current or former members of the Syrian Electronic Army with multiple conspiracies related to computer hacking, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

Ahmad Umar Agha, 22, and Firas Dardar, 27, were charged with a criminal conspiracy that included “a hoax regarding a terrorist attack” and “attempting to cause mutiny of the U.S. armed forces,” the department said in a statement. Dardar and Peter Romar, 36, were separately charged with other conspiracies, it said.

The FBI announced on Tuesday it was adding Agha and Dardar to its Cyber Most Wanted list and offering a reward of $100,000 for information leading to their arrest, the statement said.

Agha and Dardar, who are believed to reside in Syria, began their criminal activities in or around 2011 under the name of the Syrian Electronic Army in support of the Syrian government, the statement said.

In June 2015, the U.S. Army said it temporarily took down its website after the Syrian Electronic Army hacked into the site and posted messages.

(Reporting by Washington Newsroom)

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