Authorities have brought charges against two employees from the Washington D.C. area airports for allegedly hacking into computer systems. They are accused of accessing surveillance footage of a fatal mid-air collision that occurred near Ronald Reagan National Airport last week and leaking it to CNN.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) stated that two employees have been charged with unlawfully making copies of records belonging to the Airports Authority. The individuals in question are Mohamed Lamine Mbengue, 21, from Rockville, Md., and Jonathan Savoy, 45, from Upper Marlboro, Md.
Mbengue was arrested on January 31 and charged with computer trespass following a tragic incident where an American Eagle flight from Wichita, Kan., collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River as it was preparing to land at Reagan Airport. Sadly, all 67 individuals on board both aircraft are presumed to have lost their lives.
Mbengue was taken into custody at the Arlington County Adult Detention Center but was later released on his own recognizance, according to an MWAA spokesperson. Two days later, on February 2, Savoy was also arrested on a charge of computer trespass and was released on a summons by a magistrate judge.
Although MWAA did not provide details on the arrests, it is noted that Mbengue’s arrest coincided with CNN’s publication of surveillance footage capturing the moment of the tragic crash. The arrests are believed to be related to this footage, as reported by ABC News.
CNN did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the matter. This incident marks the deadliest involving an American airliner on U.S. soil in nearly 25 years.
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