Russian Hacker Suspected of LinkedIn Attack Arrested in Czech Republic

A Russian hacker suspected of carrying out a major hack of LinkedIn has been arrested in the Czech Republic, and the U.S. is seeking to extradite him to face trial in San Francisco, according to U.S. officials familiar with the case.

According to information released by Czech officials, the unidentified hacker was arrested earlier this month based on a request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The man was wanted under a so-called "red notice" issued by INTERPOL, which is a mechanism for countries to ask each other to stop suspects found abroad.

Neither Czech officials nor the FBI would say publicly what the man was wanted for, but U.S. officials familiar with the case say he is suspected of a massive data theft from LinkedIn.

The company's system was hacked in 2012, and LinkedIn acknowledged earlier this year that more than 100 million usernames and passwords had been taken.

A spokeswoman for LinkedIn said: "Following the 2012 breach of LinkedIn member information, we have remained actively involved with the FBI's case to pursue those responsible. We are thankful for the hard work and dedication of the FBI in its efforts to locate and capture the parties believed to be responsible for this criminal activity.

U.S. authorities now plan to seek the suspect's extradition from the Czech Republic, a legal and diplomatic process that can be drawn out by appeals and hearings.

Russian criminal gangs are a major source of hacking directed at U.S. companies, but it can be difficult for the U.S. to catch such suspects if they don't leave their home country.

Russia doesn't extradite its citizens to the U.S., and the Russian government has already said it expects the individual arrested in the Czech Republic to be returned to Russia, not sent to face trial in the U.S.

The new arrest is unrelated to the recent hacking of Democratic organizations and individuals that U.S. intelligence officials have blamed on the Russian government.

Write to Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 19, 2016 15:35 ET (19:35 GMT)

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