Pro-Assad Syrian pleads guilty in US to role in hacking
Peter Romar, 37, a refugee who was living in Germany when he was arrested earlier this year, pleaded guilty to charges that spell out a limited role as a member of a so-called Syrian Electronic Army that harassed Harvard University, Human Rights Watch and media outlets.
According to an FBI affidavit, beginning in 2011 the Syrian Electronic Army targeted entities including Harvard University, the White House, Human Rights Watch, NASA, Microsoft and other groups.
In April 2013, Syrian Electronic Army hackers allegedly sent a tweet from The Associated Press' Twitter account falsely claiming a bomb had exploded at the White House and injured the president.
According to the defense, Romar was living in the Syrian city of Aleppo when he fled to Germany as a refugee.