UK law enforcement has arrested two teenage members of a scattered spider-hacking group in connection with alleged participation in an August 2024 cyberattack targeting London Transport (TFL), the city’s public transport system.
Thalha Jubair (aka Earthtostar, Brad, Austin, and @Autistic), 19, Owen Floses, 18, of Walsall, West Midlands, was arrested Tuesday at his home address, the National Crime Agency (NCA). They are 19 and 18 respectively.
It is worth noting that Hana was initially arrested, but was later released on bail due to alleged involvement in the TFL attack in September 2024. The agency also said it was accused of discovering evidence of flowers targeting US healthcare companies and conspiring with others to infiltrate and inflict damage on SSM Health Care Corporation and Sutter Health networks.
Jubair is being charged under the Investigation Power Act (RIPA) 2000 regulations for failing to surrender pins and passwords for devices seized by law enforcement on March 19, 2025.
“The attack caused significant disruption and millions of losses for TFL, part of the UK’s important national infrastructure,” said Deputy Director Paul Foster, NCA’s National Cybercrime Director. “Early this year, the NCA warned of an increase in threats from cybercriminals based in the UK and other English-speaking countries.
In parallel, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) sealed down complaints claiming Jubaia for a conspiracy to force 47 US companies between May 2022 and September 2025, committing computer fraud, wire fraud and money laundering in connection with at least 120 computer network intrusions.
These attacks included the use of social engineering techniques to gain unauthorized access to target networks, and then demanded ransom from victims to leverage access to information, stealing and encrypting information, and preventing and preventing leakage of excluded data.
According to the complaint, the victim paid at least $115,000,000 in ransom payments. The incident, added by DOJ, caused widespread disruption in October 2024 and January 2025 for US businesses and organizations, including critical infrastructure and federal court systems.
In July 2024, DOJ said law enforcement seized cryptocurrency wallets on servers allegedly managed by Jubair, confiscating digital assets worth around $36 million at the time. Juvea also allegedly transferred some of the proceeds from one of the victims into a wallet worth around $8.4 million at the time.
Jubair is charged with conspiracy of computer fraud, two counts of computer fraud, a conspiracy of wire fraud, two wire fraud, and a conspiracy of money laundering. If convicted, he faces the biggest penalty in ’95 prison.
“Jubia went on a large and refined length to remain anonymous while he and his criminal allies continued to attack these victims and force them to pay tens of millions of dollars,” said Alina Haba, acting as a New Jersey area lawyer and special lawyer.
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