Malaysia arrests hacker linked to Islamic State group
A tourist walks through Malaysia’s famous eatery street, Jalan Alor, a popular tourist spot in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday, Sept. 25, 2015. The US Embassy issued an advisory Thursday saying it has credible threat information and urged its citizens to avoid Alor Street, located in a shopping belt in the city center, and its immediate surrounding areas. AP
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian and US authorities say a Kosovo citizen has been arrested in Kuala Lumpur for computer hacking and allegedly providing information about US service members to the Islamic State group.
Malaysian national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar says the man, in his 20s, was arrested Sept. 15. Khalid says initial investigations showed the man was in contact with a senior Islamic State group leader in Syria, and is accused of providing information on US service members after hacking several servers.
Khalid said in a statement late Thursday that the man, who entered Malaysia in August 2014 to further his studies, would be extradited to the US
In a separate statement, the US State Department identified the man as Ardit Ferizi, believed to be leader of a Kosovar internet hacking group.
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