April 29, 2019 09:23
U.S. investigators are chasing the leader of the shadowy North Korean dissident group Free Joseon who led a daredevil raid on the North Korean Embassy in Madrid on Feb. 22, Reuters reported Saturday.
Investigators are searching for Adrian Hong Chang in central California, where he is believed to be hiding, with a federal arrest warrant.
Spanish authorities issued an international arrest warrant for the raiders and asked the U.S. to extradite them under a mutual treaty.
Christopher Ahn, a Korean-American member of the group, was arraigned in a U.S. federal court for his suspected involvement in the raid after he was arrested in Los Angeles on April 18. Police also raided Hong's home, but he had flown the coop.
Lee Wolosky, a lawyer for Hong, "accused U.S. authorities of accepting at face value a false North Korean account of events," according to Reuters.
"In due time, we expect to be able to present additional evidence that contradicts the story made up by [North Korea]," he added.
Meanwhile, Free Joseon left a mysterious message with the code word "Orange" on its website around 10:15 p.m. Saturday. On April 7, it posted the number 8279 on the website.
An intelligence source speculated that the figure was an instruction code and the color indicates a deciphering algorithm.
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