The Canadian charged in a massive hack of Yahoo emails will appear in Hamilton court today via video link.
Karim Baratov, 22, of Ancaster, Ont., faces charges from the U.S. Justice Department related to computer hacking, economic espionage and several other offences. The case involves a data breach that impacted at least a half billion user accounts.
Officials say the hack targeted email accounts of Russian and U.S. officials, Russian journalists, and employees of financial services and other businesses.
Two Russian intelligence officers and a fourth man, who lives in the U.S. but has ties to Russia, also face charges.
Baratov was arrested in Ancaster on Tuesday. The dual Canadian-Kazakh national lived alone in a large three-bedroom house in the tony Meadowlands area.
Neighbours say Karim Baratov mostly kept to himself, save the parties he held a few times a year. He was also known for driving flashy cars around the neighbourhood. (Instagram/Canadian Press)
Neighbours say he mostly kept to himself, save for a few house parties a year. He also paraded high-end, colourful cars through the quiet subdivision streets and on his various social media accounts.
“We guessed, ‘What did he do? Maybe sell cars?'” a neighbour said this week. “Or maybe he sells [houses]? I don’t know.”
Baratov made a brief court appearance on Wednesday. His Friday appearance is at 2 p.m.
Jag Virk, a criminal lawyer who briefly represented Baratov after his arrest, has told CBC News the Canadian citizen who has roots in Kazakhstan “maintains his innocence.”