Montenegro extradites Amir Barati to the U.S.: accused of cyberattacks causing over $3.4 billion in damage

Montenegro has extradited to the United States Amir Barati (40), a citizen of Turkey and Iran, whom the U.S. authorities accuse of massive cyberattacks against more than 150 universities, with damages which, according to investigations, exceed $3.4 billion, Montenegro’s Police Directorate announced, as the CdM portal reports.

According to the Montenegrin police, Barati was located and arrested on June 25, 2026, in the municipality of Kotor, following a direct arrest request issued by the competent authorities of the United States and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“Until the moment of his arrest, A.B. was considered a high-profile target in the field of cybercrime and organized crime. The arrest warrant was issued to ensure his presence in the criminal proceedings being conducted against him in the United States, before the Supreme Court in New York, on several charges,” the police statement said.

He is accused of committing the criminal offenses of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and computer hacking, as well as identity theft — in that, since 2013, as an associate of a legal entity from the territory of Iran, he carried out massive hacker attacks against U.S. infrastructure, causing, according to estimates, damage of over US$3.4 billion.

According to the investigation, the stolen data, as well as access to the compromised university accounts, were used for the benefit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other Iranian users, including universities based in Iran.

The exchange of operational information and intelligence data that led to A.B.’s arrest and, ultimately, his extradition to the U.S. represents a continuation of the cooperation based on professionalism and the highest police standards in international operational law-enforcement cooperation between Montenegro and the U.S., the statement said.

“The operation to locate and arrest this high-profile target, successfully carried out by NCB Interpol Podgorica, continued the excellent cooperation between NCB Interpol Podgorica and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which over the last three years has resulted in the location and arrest of a total of seven persons in Montenegro wanted by the FBI and U.S. judicial authorities,” concluded the Montenegrin police statement, quoted by CdM.