Germany probes Vladimir K arrested in Japan over Synnovis hack
A 28-year-old Russian man, Vladimir K. was arrested in Japan in May and is now being investigated by German police for allegedly hacking London's Synnovis blood testing service back in 2024, a cyber-attack that disrupted hospital care and is thought to have led to a patient's death.
He was caught in Japan earlier this year, and German police are now including the incident in their investigation into the detained Russian and his associates.
Qilin gang extorted more than $140m
Vladimir is said to be a key player in the Qilin gang, a notorious group behind hacks on over 4,000 organizations and extorted more than $140m (£105m) from victims.
They have targeted everything from schools, hospitals, companies, councils and health organizations, making arrests tough because it is very rare for hackers to be arrested in Russia as its government refuses to co-operate with Western law enforcement requests.
British police are examining whether their own inquiry may lead to an unlawful killing case because of the Synnovis attack.