Several Iranian nationals have been indicted on criminal charges connected to the hacking of former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, reported the New York Post.
As per Politico, a federal grand jury approved the indictment on Thursday, and the justice department may announce the charges as early as Friday.
Earlier this month, US security agencies revealed that the stolen Trump campaign material was also shared with individuals connected to Biden’s re-election campaign.Some of these individuals continued working for vice president Kamala Harris after Biden exited the race.
However, there was no evidence to suggest that the recipients engaged with the Iranian messages.
The charges relate to a cyber attack by Iran targeting Trump’s campaign earlier this year. Hackers allegedly stole material from Trump’s team and offered it to media outlets and President Biden’s now-defunct campaign, in an effort to influence the 2024 election.
Last month, Trump’s campaign acknowledged the hacking and blamed the Iranian regime. This came after news outlet Politico reported receiving a dossier on GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance from an AOL email account linked to an entity named “Robert.”
US authorities, including the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, later confirmed Iran’s involvement. Iran also attempted to hack into Biden’s campaign email accounts, according to Microsoft and Google.
Foreign hackers, such as those working for the Iranian government, are often based in countries that refuse to extradite them to the US, making it unlikely they will face trial.
Assistant attorney general Matthew Olsen, head of the DOJ’s National Security Division, stated that Iran’s attempts to influence the 2024 election were more aggressive than in previous cycles. Speaking in New York, Olsen highlighted Iran’s belief that this year’s election could significantly impact its national security interests, driving Tehran’s efforts to shape the outcome.
Additionally, Trump was briefed this week by ODNI on “real and specific threats” from Iran aimed at assassinating him to create instability in the US, according to his campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung.
While details of the briefing were not fully disclosed, Trump mentioned that some of Iran’s attempts had already failed.