Dubai police say they arrest hackers after White House staff

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Jon Gambrell, Associated Press

Updated 1:44 pm, Monday, April 3, 2017


UBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai police have arrested foreign hackers who targeted five senior White House officials in a blackmail email scam, state-owned media reported on Monday.

The Arabic-language Al Bayan newspaper and the television channel Dubai One reported the arrests, while Dubai police did not answer repeated calls for comment. The arrests come as the United Arab Emirates, which hosts some 4,000 U.S. troops fighting the Islamic State group, remains a crucial regional ally.

The White House had no immediate comment on the reports, whose details closely resembled a previously announced 2015 raid in which Emirati authorities never mentioned a connection to Washington.

Al Bayan quoted Maj. Saud al-Khalidi of Dubai police's cybercrime division as saying an "African gang" broke into the emails of the five senior officials and "got highly confidential information." He said the hackers then demanded money from their targets in threatening emails. The U.S. then asked Dubai police for assistance.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Dubai-police-say-they-arrest-hackers-after-White-11045808.php

[4139]

1. "five senior White House officials".. Trump officials or Obama officials??

[cstanleytech]

2. I'm leaning Trump ones for two reasons.

#1 If this had been Obama officials Trump and his water carriers would have been crowing about it rather than keeping quiet.
#2 We know for a fact that most of the people Trump employees are complete and utter idiots like KellyAnne (Bowling Green) Conway and Sean (Thank god I have a plastic surgeon on speed dial to help with my nose growing every time I open my mouth) Spicer.

[stillcool]

3. "senior officials"

from 2015? ...might be a gift.

The White House had no immediate comment on the reports, whose details closely resembled a previously announced 2015 raid in which Emirati authorities never mentioned a connection to Washington.
Al Bayan quoted Maj. Saud al-Khalidi of Dubai police's cybercrime division as saying an "African gang" broke into the emails of the five senior officials and "got highly confidential information." He said the hackers then demanded money from their targets in threatening emails. The U.S. then asked Dubai police for assistance.

[cstanleytech]

4. Maybe I am misreading it but this sounds recent and the 2015 it mentions says

only and I quote "the details closely resembled a previously announced 2015 raid".

[MgtPA]

7. Obama White House officials - from the article.

[4139]

9. Thanks! The must have update the article

[Honeycombe8]

5. Why is Dubai involved? This is curious. Doesn't mean that anyone did anything wrong...

could be blackmail or they'd release personal or financial information like bank account numbers or whatever.

I get that the U S asked Dubai for help with this, but why Dubai?

[hughee99]

8. It says Dubai arrested them, it sounds like they were caught in Dubai. n/t

[Turbineguy]

6. "I saw what you did and I know who you are"

The money should flow like a river.

[pfitz59]

10. Dubai is a big money laundering and spying center

maybe the Trump folks were invoved with financial misdealings....

[woodsprite]

11. IMO, just a smoke screen to take away from the Kushner/Russian meeting they brokered.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/blackwater-founder-held-secret-seychelles-meeting-to-establish-trump-putin-back-channel/2017/04/03/95908a08-1648-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.635335b7471e