Arrested IntelBroker hacker tied to 2018 UK school bomb hoax
The alleged “IntelBroker” hacker charged by US authorities this week was reportedly arrested by UK police seven years ago over hoax bomb threats sent to thousands of schools.
That’s according to malware reporters vx-underground, who received an anonymous tip from someone claiming to have attended the same UK university as Kai West, the 25-year-old accused of stealing and selling private online data.
The source claims that West — also known as “PartialDuplex” — was arrested in 2018 while part of another group called “Apophis Squad.”
Indeed, footage from the National Crime Agency appears to show a young West being arrested for a bomb hoax.
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While vx-underground’s source claims West was 17 at the time, a police press release published days before the NCA footage was shared on X suggests an 18-year-old fitting the anonymous sources’ claims was arrested.
The US indictment accuses West of causing $25 million worth of damages to victims of his alleged data-stealing operation. The US is seeking his extradition by French authorities who arrested him last February.
West often accepted payment of Monero for the stolen data but was convinced by an undercover agent to make one transaction with $250 worth of bitcoin (BTC) instead. This allowed authorities to trace his BTC to Ramp, where his account was registered with his driving license.
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A number of other teenagers were also arrested over the same bomb hoaxes and connections to Apophis Squad.
George Duke-Cohan, who was 19 at the time, sent phony bomb threats to 1,700 schools in March 2018. A US indictment accused him of ringing up multiple FBI offices to spread rumours of a deadly pathogen in the office while also threatening to rape the wives of the staff there.
UK authorities arrested him days after his March bomb threats, but he sent another round of threats in April that year. Duke-Cohan was eventually sentenced to three years in prison in September 2018.
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