Suspected hacker arrested in Prague

PRAGUE — A man identified as a Russian hacker suspected of pursuing targets in the United States has been arrested in the Czech Republic, police announced.

The suspect was captured in a raid at a hotel in central Prague on Oct. 5, about 12 hours after authorities heard that he was in the country, where he drove around in a luxury car with his girlfriend, according to police. The man did not resist arrest, but he had medical problems and was briefly hospitalized, police said in a statement.

The police statement said that “the man was a Russian citizen suspected of hacking attacks on targets in the United States,” and that the raid was conducted in collaboration with the FBI after Interpol issued an arrest warrant.

The social media company LinkedIn said it believed it had been a victim in the case. The company, which acts as a virtual job network, said it had been involved in the FBI’s case since it was hacked in 2012.

The FBI said in a statement that the arrest was an example of the collaboration needed “to successfully defeat cyber adversaries,” but declined to provide further details.

The arrest occurred two days before the Obama administration formally accused the Russian government of stealing and disclosing emails from the Democratic National Committee. But law enforcement officials in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect did not appear to be related to the hacking of the Democrats’ emails or to organizations like DCLeaks or WikiLeaks.

A judge in Prague has ordered the man to remain in custody, and a court will examine whether to extradite him to the United States.