ISIL-Linked Hacker Arrested in Malaysia on U.S. Charges

Defendant Charged with Providing Material Support to ISIL and Computer Hacking Related to the Theft and Distribution of U.S. Military and Federal Employee Personal Information

Malaysian authorities have detained Kosovo citizen Ardit Ferizi in Malaysia on a U.S. provisional arrest warrant alleging that he provided material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and committed computer hacking and identity theft violations in conjunction with the theft and release of personally identifiable information (PII) of U.S. service members and federal employees.  The criminal complaint was unsealed today.  The United States is seeking his extradition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia to stand trial.

The charges were announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Paul Abbate of the FBI’s Washington, D.C.’s Field Office.

As alleged in the criminal complaint, Ferizi, also known by his hacking moniker “Th3Dir3ctorY,” is believed to be the leader of a Kosovar internet hacking group called Kosova Hacker’s Security (KHS).  Ferizi hacked into the computer system of a victim company located in the United States and stole the PII of thousands of individuals.  He then provided the PII of over 1,000 U.S. service members and federal employees to ISIL to be used against those employees.  Between June and August 2015, Ferizi provided unlawfully obtained PII to ISIL member Junaid Hussain, aka Abu Hussain al-Britani.  On Aug. 11, 2015, in the name of the Islamic State Hacking Division (ISHD), Hussain posted a tweet titled “NEW: U.S. Military AND Government HACKED by the Islamic State Hacking Division!” which contained a hyperlink to a 30-page document.  That document stated, in part, that “we are in your emails and computer systems, watching and recording your every move, we have your names and addresses, we are in your emails and social media accounts, we are extracting confidential data and passing on your personal information to the soldiers of the khilafah, who soon with the permission of Allah will strike at your necks in your own lands!”  The next 27 pages of the document contained the names, e-mail addresses, e-mail passwords, locations and phone numbers for approximately 1,351 U.S. military and other government personnel.  This posting was intended to provide ISIL supporters in the United States and elsewhere with the PII belonging to the listed government employees for the purpose of encouraging terrorist attacks against those individuals.

“As alleged, Ardit Ferizi is a terrorist hacker who provided material support to ISIL by stealing the personally identifiable information of U.S. service members and federal employees and providing it to ISIL for use against those employees,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “This case is a first of its kind and, with these charges, we seek to hold Ferizi accountable for his theft of this information and his role in ISIL’s targeting of U.S. government employees.  This arrest demonstrates our resolve to confront and disrupt ISIL’s efforts to target Americans, in whatever form and wherever they occur.”

“National security is compromised by computer intrusions, and Ferizi is charged with obtaining the personal identifying information of U.S. military and government personnel and providing it to ISIL,” said U.S. Attorney Boente.  “We will investigate and prosecute these cyber-attacks to fullest extent of the law.”

If convicted, the defendant faces up to 35 years.

The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Gregory Gonzalez of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Haaland of the Eastern District of Virginia.  The Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Attorney and FBI Assistant Director thanked the Malaysian authorities for their assistance in this matter.

Langley Airmen return from supporting ISIL airstrike missions

633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

10/8/2015 - JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- Members of the 94th and 149th Fighter Squadrons returned to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, after a six-month deployment to the Middle East.

Approximately 200 members of the 1st and 192nd Fighter Wings, operating the F-22 Raptor, were assigned to United States Central Command as a part of a theater security package, providing support and stability to the region.

The Langley AFB airmen were deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Under that operation, U.S. and coalition forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.

The 94th and 149th Fighter Squadrons were accompanied by additional support personnel from Virginia Air National Guard's 192nd FW and the 633rd Air Base Wing.

"We're incredibly proud of our Airmen and the work they did over the course of this six month operational deployment, but it's great to have them home," said Col. Pete Fesler, 1st FW commander.  "It's been quite a while since we've had the entire 1st and 192nd Fighter Wings together, and we plan to celebrate this rare occasion."

Also known as the "Hat in the Ring Gang," the 94th FS is the second oldest active fighter squadron in the United States, tracing its origin back to the dawn of military aviation over the trenches of World War I.

Langley AFB's three fighter squadrons operate the F-22 Raptor.  The F-22 Raptor, America's premier air dominance fighter, protects U.S. and allied forces by engaging and destroying enemy forces, equipment and defenses in the air or on the ground.

Coalition Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, August 29, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Airstrikes in Syria

Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven airstrikes in Syria:

-- Near Al Hasakah, four airstrikes struck two ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL bunkers, an ISIL air defense artillery system, an ISIL mortar position and an ISIL rocket launcher.

-- Near Al Hawl, two airstrikes destroyed an ISIL artillery piece and an ISIL excavator.

-- Near Washiyah, one airstrike struck an ISIL staging area.

Airstrikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, fighter-attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 15 airstrikes in Iraq, coordinated with the Iraqi government:

-- Near Al Baghdadi, one airstrike destroyed two ISIL boats and two ISIL IED caches.

-- Near Bayji, four airstrikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL building, an ISIL excavator and an ISIL mortar tube.

-- Near Habbaniyah, one airstrike struck an ISIL resupply vehicle.

-- Near Kisik, one airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun.

-- Near Makhmur, one airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and two ISIL heavy machine guns.

-- Near Mosul, one airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Ramadi, one airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Sinjar, two airstrikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL mortar firing position and destroyed two ISIL light machine guns, an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL weapons cache.

-- Near Tal Afar, one airstrike struck an ISIL heavy machine gun firing position.

-- Near Tuz, two airstrikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL armored vehicle.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct operations.

Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Bahrain, Canada, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

1 Year in, Officials Assess Anti-ISIL Progress

By Air Force Master Sgt. Sonny Cohrs

U.S. Air Forces Central Command

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 6, 2015 – On Aug. 8, 2014, coalition aircraft conducted the first airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. A year later, senior leaders have had a chance to reflect on the progress thus far and how it shapes the future of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in late July that bolstering Iraq’s security forces and building moderate, vetted Syrian opposition forces is essential to enabling the two countries to defeat ISIL and work to establish peace within their own countries.

“We can help them. We can enable them. We can train them. We can equip them. We can support them,” he said. “But we can't substitute for them. Because we don't live here … we can't keep them beaten. Only the people who live here can keep them beaten.”

While coalition air power patrols the skies, ground forces continue to train and equip vetted local forces in Iraq. About 3,550 American personnel are in Iraq, helping to build partner capacities and assisting with ongoing operations.

Training for new Syrian forces is still in the early stages, Carter said in May, but it is “a critical and complex part of our counter-ISIL efforts”

Air, Ground Progress

The air campaign continues to have success in striking ISIL facilities, vehicles and equipment, and it enables both the Iraqi Security Forces as well as anti-ISIL fighters in Syria, according to U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Kevin Killea, the chief of staff for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve.

“In my opinion, this is not the same fight as it was when it started, and I look at that based on the effects that we have had on ISIL,” Killea said.

“They are much more territorial -- meaning they're defending more than they are on the offensive. Their attacks are smaller, they are more focused, and they're less enduring, and all you have to do is look at the gains that have been made on the ground recently to see … there is an effect, and there is progress,” he said.

Unlike ISIL, Killea said, the coalition works to address and minimize the possibility of collateral damage and civilian casualties.

“We have struck … staging areas and destroyed multiple ISIL armored personnel carriers and other vehicles,” he explained. “Coalition forces have also focused on destroying ISIL [roadside bomb] facilities. Airstrikes have gone a long way to degrade ISIL's ability to mount large offensive attacks, as well as reducing their ability to openly control towns and cities, where they so often inflict terror on those civilian populations."

Air Force Lt. Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr., commander of the combined force air component, said American troops and their coalition partners have conducted more than 5,900 airstrikes since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve. The airstrikes are intended to limit ISIL's freedom of movement, Brown said, while constraining its ability to reinforce its fighters and degrading its command and control.

Precise Attacks

“Our coalition air power enables [anti-ISIL] ground forces in Iraq and Syria,” he said. “The faster [ISIL] falls, the sooner innocent civilians can return to a peaceful way of life.”

The general also commended the coalition on its ability to make precise strikes against ISIL targets while minimizing collateral damage on the ground and restricting freedom of movement for ISIL. Of the 20,000-plus coalition munitions used against ISIL in the last year, 99 percent of them were precision-guided, Brown said.

“Coalition airstrikes are the most precise in the history of warfare,” he said. “Conducting strikes in heavily populated areas where [ISIL] hides can present a challenge, but our coalition pilots are well disciplined and our weapon systems are extremely accurate."

Once the ISIL members are flushed out into the open by advancing anti-ISIL fighters, they are once again susceptible to coalition targeting, Brown added.

He said coalition forces can redirect the enemy’s advances or retreats, forcing them to travel discreetly or risk coalition airstrikes.

"Even our combat air patrols -- merely the presence of coalition aircraft in an area -- also affect their freedom of movement," Brown explained. “And one year into this coalition effort to rid the world of these [ISIL] terrorists, the team can be proud of what they’ve accomplished. Their hard work and sacrifice have already saved countless lives and we will not stop until we have defeated this barbaric enemy."