Finnish authorities have extradited a 19-year-old suspected of carrying out cybercrimes to the United States.
The man was taken into custody at Helsinki Airport in early April based on an Interpol Red Notice and handed over to American authorities last week. He holds dual US and Estonian citizenship.
He made an initial appearance on Tuesday in federal court in Chicago and was ordered to remain in law enforcement custody, the US Department of Justice said on Wednesday.
"Millions in damages"
The teenager is suspected of being part of a hacking group called Scattered Spider, which "has been involved in over 100 network intrusions, resulting in more than 100 million dollars in ransom payments and millions more in damages to the victims," according to Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
The group, also known as Octo Tempest, UNC3944 and 0ktapus, has allegedly targeted airlines, insurance companies and jewellery retailers.
The Department of Justice statement did not specify why the man was in Finland.
According to the statement, its Office of International Affairs "worked with Finnish authorities to secure the extradition," while the Department "acknowledges and appreciates the assistance of Finland's National Bureau of Investigation in this matter".
Ilta-Sanomat was the first Finnish media to report on the extradition.
