WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has charged two Romanian nationals, alleging that they hacked the Washington police department’s surveillance cameras days before U.S. President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the Department of Justice said on Thursday.
Mihai Alexandru Isvanca and Eveline Cismaru were arrested in Romania on Dec. 15 over the incident, which compromised Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department camera computers as part of a ransomware scheme, the Justice Department said in a statement.
“This case was of the highest priority due to its impact on the Secret Service’s protective mission and its potential effect on the security plan for the 2017 Presidential Inauguration,” the statement said.
U.S. officials said the alleged conspiracy compromised the city police department’s camera computers between Jan. 9 and Jan. 12 but did not threaten anyone’s physical security.