e_Paper, Saturday, August 26, 2017

8
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2017
DT
News
Russian hackers feel the heat as Trump seeks warmer Moscow ties
• Reuters
WORLD
Alexander Vinnik, left, a Russian man suspected of running a money laundering
operation in Thessaloniki, Greece July 26, 2017
REUTERS
The US Justice Department says Alexander
Vinnik, who was arrested on
money laundering charges at a Greek
hotel in late July, facilitated crimes
including computer hacking, fraud
and drug trafficking by laundering
at least $4 billion through BTC-e, an
exchange used to trade bitcoin and
other digital currencies since 2011.
The 37-year-old faces up to 55
years in prison if extradited to the
United States. He denies the allegations
against him, according to Greek
media reports, and BTC-e has said
he never worked for the exchange.
Reuters was unable to reach BTC-e
or a lawyer representing Vinnik for
comment.
Vinnik is now one of seven Russians
arrested or indicted on US cyber
crime charges this year. On average,
just two Russian cyber criminals
were extradited to the United States
each year between 2010 and the start
of this year, according to a Reuters
review of US Justice Department
filings, Russian government statements
and sources briefed on the
matter.
The increase to a record level
shows that although President Donald
Trump is trying to improve relations
with Moscow, the United States
has not shied away from pursuing
Russians suspected of cyber crime.
The prosecutions coincide with
intensified scrutiny of Russian hackers
since US intelligence officials
determined that Russia interfered
in the 2016 US presidential election
using cyber warfare methods to help
Trump.
The Kremlin has denied accusations
it interfered in elections in the
United States or elsewhere.
But US opposition lawmakers have
questioned whether Trump is willing
to respond forcefully to Moscow over
its actions in cyberspace, and the
White House has avoided publicly
accusing Russia over recent politically-motivated
hacking attacks.
Alarmed by Trump’s proposal
to create a joint US-Russia cyber security
unit, US lawmakers have also
drawn up a draft bill that would require
him to notify lawmakers before
he does so.
Four US federal law enforcement
officials, who discussed the recent
arrests with Reuters on condition of
anonymity, said there had been no
centralised effort to step up action
against Russian cyber criminals under
Trump.
The increase in the number of arrests
stemmed from breakthroughs
made in investigations before last
year’s election, two of them said to
the reporter.
The FBI referred all questions to
the US Justice Department. The Justice
Department said it did not track
arrests or indictments by nationality
and declined further comment. •
Evergreen Zoom Bangladesh
Foundation organises an
event for children
• Tribune Desk
METRO
Evergreen Zoom Bangladesh
Foundation (EZBF), a
non-profit organisation, held
an event, “Friendship with underprivileged
children 2017,”
for the second time at National
Shishu Park in Dhaka’s Shahbag
area on August 23.
During the event, around
250 volunteers spent a day
with around 200 children —
playing games, sharing rides
at the amusement park, and
having meals together.
EZBF’s General Secretary Md
Towfiqul Islam Sikder said the
event was organised to build a
friendly relation between the
volunteers and the children.
Actor Masum Parvez Rubel,
retired Lieutenant General
M Harun-ar-Rashid, actress
Shahnoor and comedian
Saifur Rahman were among
those invited.
Mercantile Bank Ltd was an
associate sponsor of this event
while the Dhaka Tribune and
jagonews24.com were media
partners. •