U.S. teenager confesses to carrying out cyberattack on Brussels airport just hours after ISIS attacks

14-year-old teen hacker from United States admits to hacking Brussels Airport computer system after ISIS bombing

A U.S. youth in Pittsburgh has reportedly confessed to the FBI that he tried to hack into the Brussels Airport Company website and and “infiltrate the computer system” on the night of March 22, 2016 in the wake of the Islamic State-led suicide bombings in the region killed over 30 civilians.

However, the cyberattack carried out by the boy, who is believed to be 14-years-old, was unsuccessful, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgium. They stressed that “it appeared there were no terrorist motives.”

Belgian investigators traced the cyberattack to a property in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and provided the information to U.S. law authorities.

In a statement, Belgium officials said: ‘Within the framework of this investigation, the FBI proceeded to a house search in Pittsburgh upon a request for legal assistance from the Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, and interrogated a minor of American nationality.

It continued: “From the investigation and the first analysis of the seized hardware it appears that there were no terrorist motives for the cyberattacks and that they do not relate at all to the terrorist attacks of 22 March [2016] in Brussels and Zaventem.”

A source close to the investigation said: ‘He is not radicalized and he told himself it was the right time’ to carry out the cyber attack.

“The Belgian federal public prosecutor’s office, therefore, wants to emphasize that this case has nothing whatsoever to do with that of the terrorist attacks on 22 March 2016 in Brussels,” a spokesperson added.

Neither the Belgian authorities nor the FBI has released any information on the suspect.

The Belgian prosecutor said that the attempted cyberattack took place hours after coordinated ISIS suicide bombings occurred on the morning of March 22, 2016: two at Brussels Airport in Zaventem and one at Maalbeek metro station. ISIS suicide bombers blew themselves up in the departures lounge of Brussels Airport killing totally 32 civilians and injuring more than 300 people. Three IS-linked terrorists were also killed in the bombings.

The bombings were carried out by the same Brussels-based cell who staged the Paris attacks that killed 130 people in November 13, 2015, said the Investigators. Since March, Belgium has launched a high-profile crackdown on alleged terrorists in the country and remains in a state of alert.

Kavita Iyer
Kavita Iyerhttps://www.techworm.net
An individual, optimist, homemaker, foodie, a die hard cricket fan and most importantly one who believes in Being Human!!!

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