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Kosovar Hacker To Answer Charges Of Aiding Islamic State


A Kosovar citizen is scheduled to enter a plea on charges that he hacked computers of U.S. service members on behalf of the Islamic State extremist group.

Ardit Ferizi's plea hearing has been scheduled for June 15 in a U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia. He initially pleaded not guilty to charges of providing material support to terrorists and identity theft.

Prosecutors say Ferizi hacked the records of a private company and provided names, e-mail passwords, and phone numbers of more than 1,300 service members to IS last year. IS 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 and brought to the United States to face charges in January. The Justice Department called the case the first of its kind.

Based on reporting by AP

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