INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
French law enforcement authorities jailed a Russian expert basketball gamer at the demand of the United States, where he is desired for
presumably participating in a ransomware hacking ring, a Paris court heard Wednesday.Daniil Kasatkin, 26, who played college basketball at
Penn State University and most just recently for Moscows MBA-MAI, was jailed at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on June 21, officials
said.Authorities in the United States implicate him of negotiating benefits for a group that hacked the computer system systems of around
900 business and two federal government entities in the U.S
in between 2020 and 2022, demanding money to end their attacks.Kasatkin, 26, rejects the accusations
He bought a used computer system
He did absolutely nothing wrong
Hes stunned, his attorney, Frederic Belot, told AFP
Hes useless with computers
He cant even install an app
He didnt touch anything on this computer
It was either hacked, or offered to him by a hacker who wanted to pass himself off as somebody else, Belot added.The court rejected bail
for Kasatkin, who faces potential extradition to the United States.Belot said Kasatkin had actually just recently ended up being engaged and
traveled to France with his fiance
He added that the professional athletes physical condition was weakening in custody, threatening his basketball career.Kasatkin played 4
seasons with MBA-MAI, assisting the team location 3rd two times in the Russian Basketball Cup
He appeared briefly as a guard for Penn State during the 20182019 season.
