Syrian Hacker Sentenced to 42 Months for AP Twitter Hack

Ahmad Umar Agha, known online as Th3Pr0, was sentenced by a U.S. federal court to 42 months in prison. He was convicted for his role in a hacking conspiracy that targeted Western news outlets. The conspiracy was organized and led by members of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's inner circle. The commander of Syria's General Intelligence Directorate was part of the group organizing the conspiracy. The U.S. Justice Department announced the details of the conspiracy leadership on October 29.

The pro-Assad Syrian Electronic Army began its attacks in 2011. The group used phishing emails to steal passwords and hijack social media accounts. On April 23, 2013, the group hijacked the Associated Press's Twitter account. The false tweet claimed President Barack Obama had been injured in two explosions at the White House. Agha carried out the hack that caused a temporary $136 billion drop in the value of stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Agha told Business Insider that causing a big drop in the Dow was the goal of the hack attack.

Agha was first charged in June 2014. The FBI added Agha and co-defendant Firas Dardar to its Cyber's Most Wanted list with a $100,000 reward in March 2016. A federal grand jury indicted both Agha and Dardar in May 2018. Court Watch reported in December 2025 that Agha was in U.S. custody. The conspiracy collected intelligence for Assad's government. Assad's regime fell in December 2024. John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, stated that Agha's hacking skills were used to silence reporting on the regime's atrocities. Agha hacked about 47 Western media outlets, businesses, non-profit groups, and U.S. and allied government bodies. Agha redirected visitors from the U.S. Marine Corps recruiting website to an image urging Marines to refuse their orders.