The U.S. Justice Department has indicted three men linked to the Iranian government for allegedly hacking the Trump campaign in an attempt to harm former President Donald Trump’s re-election prospects. The indictment does not mention Trump by name but details within the document indicate the efforts to steal information from his campaign and leak it to journalists and the Biden campaign before Biden ultimately withdrew from the race. The FBI had previously reported that Iranian hackers had attempted to provide stolen information from the Trump campaign to individuals associated with Biden’s campaign.
The charged individuals, employed by the Iranian government’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, face conspiracy charges related to hacking protected computers, supporting terrorism, wire fraud, and identity theft. The men have not been apprehended by U.S. authorities, but U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that pursuing them remains a priority for officials.
The indictment highlights a broader pattern of hostile actions by the Iranian government against the United States, including attempts to target U.S. nationals and allies. The motivation for targeting the Trump campaign appears to be linked to the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani by the Trump administration in January 2020. The indictment also details hacking activities targeting numerous public officials and a national security correspondent.
The three alleged hackers are charged with terrorism-related crimes due to their affiliation with the designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. They are also charged with wire fraud for using wire communications to commit fraudulent activities and identity theft.
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