Two teenage suspected Scattered Spider members charged in UK over TfL hack

Two suspected members of the Scattered Spider cybercrime collective have been arrested and charged in the United Kingdom following an investigation into the hack of Transport for London (TfL) last year.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) announced on Thursday that Thalha Jubair, 19, from East London, and Owen Flowers, 18, from Walsall, had been arrested at their homes at lunchtime on Tuesday.

The Crown Prosecution Service authorized charges against both men on Wednesday night under the Computer Misuse Act, alleging they conspired to commit unauthorized acts against TfL, which was hacked in August 2024. Flowers had initially been arrested over the the transit agency attack in September 2024, but released on bail.

The NCA said its officers also discovered additional potential evidence that Flowers had been involved in attacks against U.S. healthcare companies following his arrest. Flowers faces two additional charges of conspiring with others to infiltrate and damage the networks of SSM Health Care Corporation and attempting to do the same to Sutter Health.

Jubair faces an additional charge for refusing to provide investigators with passcodes to access devices seized from him. The U.S. Department of Justice also unsealed a complaint against Jubair on Thursday, accusing him of computer crimes.

The men are set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court at 2 p.m. on Thursday. In England and Wales, criminal cases begin with a first hearing in a magistrates’ court where it is decided whether the case will proceed to a Crown Court for a jury trial — required for all cases where the sentence could exceed 12 months.

The specific charges against both men are “conspiracy to commit an unauthorised act in relation to a computer causing / creating risk of serious damage to human welfare/national security,” the maximum sentence for which is life imprisonment.

Magistrates’ courts also decide whether a defendant can be released on bail. Prosecutors are seeking to have both men remanded in custody until they can face trial.

Paul Foster, the head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Today’s charges are a key step in what has been a lengthy and complex investigation. This attack caused significant disruption and millions in losses to TfL, part of the UK’s critical national infrastructure.”

It follows the NCA warning of an increasing threat from English-speaking cybercriminal groups, including the loose collective tracked as Scattered Spider, which has been associated with a range of attacks in both Britain and the United States.

“The NCA, UK policing and our international partners, including the FBI, are collectively committed to identifying offenders within these networks and ensuring they face justice,” said Foster.

Hannah Von Dadelszen, the CPS’ chief prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”

The charges come as the NCA’s cybercrime unit is understood to be busier than ever in investigating a range of cases. These include the hack against TfL, the Legal Aid Agency, two incidents impacting the National Health Service, and attacks on three retailers — Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, and the London-based luxury store Harrods.

Contempt of court laws prohibit prejudicing a jury trial by suggesting suspects' guilt or innocence, publishing details regarding their past convictions, or speculating about the character of the defendants.