Kosovo Albanian Ardit Ferizi is charged for hacking computers of the US service members’ personnel for the interest of the Islamic State. Associated Press reports that he will plead guilty at tomorrow’s trial at the US district court in Alexandria.
Ferizi initially pleaded not guilty to charges of providing material support to terrorists and identity theft, for what Ferizi is facing maximum prison term of 35 years, reports Associated Press.
According to the FBI data, Ferizi (21) is known under the hacker code “Th3Dir3ctorY” and was a leader of the group of Kosovo Albanians known as ‘Kosova Hacker’s Security’. Prosecutors say that Ferizi hacked the records of a private company and provided names, email passwords and phone numbers of more than 1,300 service members to the Islamic State last year. The Islamic State group then published the data on Twitter with a warning it would “strike at your necks in your own lands.” Ferizi was arrested in Malaysia in October 2015 and brought to the US to face charges in January.
When the charges were announced back in October, the Justice Department said the case was a first of its kind and “demonstrates our resolve to confront and disrupt ISIL’s efforts to target Americans, in whatever form and wherever they occur.”
