Russian Hacker Suspected of U.S. Election Interference Arrested in Thailand, Cryptocurrency Worth HUF 143 Million Seized
Thailand – A 35-year-old Russian citizen, identified by Russian media as Alexey Lukasev, has been detained in Thailand following an alert from the FBI. Authorities arrested the suspect on November 6th at a hotel in the Thalang district after he arrived in the country on October 30th. A subsequent search of his belongings yielded laptops, mobile phones, and digital wallets.
Thai police have confirmed the suspect is wanted in the United States and have seized 14 million Thai baht (approximately HUF 143 million) in cryptocurrency from his digital wallets, believing it was obtained through malware-driven theft. The U.S.has formally requested his extradition.
Lukasev is reportedly a chief lieutenant within the GRU, Russia‘s military intelligence agency, operating as part of military unit 26165. He is named as a defendant in U.S. indictments alleging interference in the 2016 presidential election, specifically related to hacking the Democratic National Committee and the email account of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The hacker is linked to the Fancy Bear group (also known as APT28), a known Russian military intelligence-affiliated hacking collective. Hungarian security services have previously investigated Fancy Bear’s suspected involvement in cyberattacks targeting the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
