ISIL-Linked Hacker Brought to U.S. Court

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CN) - A 20-year-old accused of hacking U.S. military records on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group made his first court appearance since his extradition.

Prosecutors say Ardit Ferizi, of Kosovo, stole and released personally identifiable information of U.S. service members and federal employees, and provided material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, commonly abbreviated as ISIL or ISIS.

Malaysian authorities detained Ferizi on behalf of the United States with a provisional arrest warrant back in October.

Ferizi waived extradition after U.S. prosecutors on Oct. 15 unsealed the criminal complaint against him dated one week earlier, Oct. 6, 2015.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan Davis presided over Ferizi's initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon.

If convicted, Ferizi faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison.

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