Alleged Canadian hacker behind 2021 theft of Texas GOP and GiveSendGo user data in custody: DOJ

An alleged co-founder of the online hacker question Anonymous has been taken into custody aft a 2021 information breach targeting the Texas Republican Party.

Aubrey Cottle, a 37-year-old Canadian national, is known professionally arsenic "Kirtaner." 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Cottle with hacking into the Texas Republican Party's web server and stealing delicate information successful 2021. 

Cottle was arrested successful Canada Wednesday, and authorities determination are pursuing further charges nether Canadian law, the DOJ said.

CANADA FREEDOM CONVOY: GIVESENDGO DEMANDS FBI PROBE HACKERS, ALLEGES 'HIGHLY COORDINATED' POLITICAL DOXING

In Texas, Cottle faces charges of "unlawfully transferring, possessing oregon utilizing a means of recognition with the intent to commit, oregon assistance oregon abet, oregon successful transportation with, unlawful enactment nether authorities oregon national law," according to a property release.

The Texas authorities Capitol successful Austin, Texas. (Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images)

Cottle uses his LinkedIn illustration to picture himself arsenic a "Filthy blackhat but bully boi." The aforesaid leafage shows Cottle arsenic 1 of the founders of Anonymous, a decentralized hacker radical aiming to breach governmental institutions successful protest.

"Yes, that one," Cottle wrote. "Hal Turner, Scientology, Guy Fawkes masks, you got it. Really. Google it."

According to a quality merchandise from acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas, Cottle gained unauthorized entree to a third-party hosting institution called "Epik" earlier defacing the Texas GOP’s website. 

"Texas: Taking voices from women to beforehand theocratic erosion of church/state barriers," the Anonymous rewrite of the site's landing leafage said. The banner of the website was replaced with cartoon characters, a pornographic representation and a euphony video.

HACKER GROUP ANONYMOUS DECLARES 'TOTAL WAR' ON DONALD TRUMP

The aforesaid merchandise alleges Cottle stole a backup of the website's server containing idiosyncratic identifying information. The stolen information was past posted online for nationalist download. Prosecutors added Cottle adjacent bragged astir the breach connected societal media.

Cottle's TikTok page's bio says "that Anonymous laminitis hacker feline you astir apt saw successful the quality oregon Vice oregon sumthn."

The Department of Justice seal during a quality league astatine the DOJ bureau successful Washington May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

According to the DOJ, information from the Texas Republican Party leak was discovered successful a hunt connected Cottle's idiosyncratic physics devices. 

The Anonymous group's breach of the website was allegedly pro-choice retaliation. In September 2021, the Lone Star State passed the Texas Heartbeat Act. Under the act, termination is amerciable past the constituent a fetal heartbeat tin beryllium detected, astir 5 oregon six weeks of gestational age.

Cottle has besides been linked to a "political doxing" information breach of Christian crowdfunding tract GiveSendGo successful February 2022, aft the level hosted a fundraiser for the Canada Freedom Convoy. Names of donors, intended to stay backstage and unafraid connected the platform, were publicized crossed the internet.

Trucks parked successful Ottawa connected the 19th time of the Freedom Convoy protest. (Fox News Digital/Lisa Bennatan)

GiveSendGo laminitis Jacob Wells spoke with Fox News Digital astatine the clip of the breach. 

"This is illegal, and these radical should beryllium going to jail. The FBI — I mean, it's astonishing that we haven't heard from immoderate investigative services. We volition beryllium reaching retired ourselves to conscionable spot that there's immoderate probe into this. This is wholly unacceptable," Wells said.

GiveSendGo has a crowdfunding run for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of sidesplitting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson successful December 2024. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The FBI Austin Cyber Task Force is investigating Cottle's case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Karthik Srinivasan is prosecuting the case. If convicted, Cottle faces a maximum punishment of 5 years successful prison.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment.

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.