Arabic version: اتهام رجلين من بيرث بشأن جرائم إلكترونية عالمية مزعومة

According to ABC News, two Perth men in their early 20s have been charged after an investigation involving the Australian Federal Police, Western Australian Police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation into an alleged global cybercrime syndicate.

Ruben Ian Thomson, 21, and Louis Michael Gaebler, 23, were arrested in Perth and faced court on 14 charges in total. Police allege the pair were involved in TeamPCP, a highly organised group accused of data intrusion, identity crime and cryptocurrency-based money laundering.

Investigators began examining the syndicate in April after the AFP and FBI received tip-offs. Police will allege malicious code was inserted into publicly available open-source software, which was then unknowingly used by other developers.

The infected software allegedly entered systems used by government, academic and private-sector institutions, potentially compromising more than 1,000 organisations worldwide. Authorities allege the operation harvested more than 500,000 user credentials and authentication materials, enabling unauthorised access to networks and cloud environments.

AFP Commander Graeme Marshall said the alleged activity caused significant financial losses and operational interruptions, with remediation costs estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Police seized electronic devices and other items from properties in Cottesloe, Hamilton Hill and Mandurah, and said 100 terabytes of data had already been extracted from devices at one address.

A magistrate declined to grant bail to Mr Thomson after concerns he could tamper with evidence; his lawyer withdrew the application. Mr Gaebler was remanded in custody for his next appearance on September 18. Police said further arrests were possible as the investigation continues.