Threats · 3h ago
The Justice Department says Syrian Electronic Army-linked hacker Ahmad Umar Agha received a 42-month U.S. prison sentence for a state-directed campaign that compromised about 47 media, business, NGO, and government targets. Prosecutors say figures close to Bashar al-Assad, including Syria’s intelligence chief, directed the operation, which ran from August 2011 through January 2024.
In 2013, Agha used the Associated Press’s trusted Twitter account to post a fabricated report that President Barack Obama had been hurt in White House blasts. The Justice Department says the false post triggered a flash crash, briefly wiping $136 billion from the combined value of Dow Jones component stocks.
A publisher lost about $35,000 a day for six months, and a global NGO reported $480,000 in total losses after security upgrades and other remediation. Agha’s sentence closes his case, while alleged accomplice Firas Dardar remains at large. For organizations whose official accounts carry public trust, the case shows how stolen access can send a false claim into markets or public response, leaving the institution to bear the lasting cleanup costs.
5 sources covering this story
Syrian Hacker Gets Prison Time in US After Over a Decade on the Run
A US court sentenced Syrian hacker Ahmad Umar Agha to 42 months for pro-Assad attacks on media, businesses, and government entities.
Syrian hacker who served Assad regime gets 42 months in US prison
Syrian hacker Ahmad Umar Agha was sentenced to 42 months in US prison for cyberattacks backing the Assad regime, including the 2013 AP Twitter hoax.
The Record from Recorded Future
Syrian Electronic Army hacker gets prison time for attacks on Western targets
Ahmad Umar Agha, known online as “Th3Pr0,” was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Virginia to 42 months behind bars for his role in a conspiracy that was organized by former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest advisers.
Assad regime hacker who caused $136 billion market drop sentenced to 42 months - Help Net Security
A Syrian hacker who targeted media outlets, NGOs and US government entities for the Assad regime has been sentenced to 42 months in prison.
Syrian Hacker Behind Fake Tweet That Triggered $136 Billion Market Drop Gets 42 Months in Prison
Syrian Electronic Army hacker Ahmad Umar Agha was sentenced to 42 months in prison for attacks on Western media, including the AP Twitter hijack.
Part of the PlainSec briefing for 2026-10-31