A SPANISH academic once welcomed as an expert on terrorism and extremism has now been branded a cyberterrorist and placed on Europe’s “most wanted” list.
The National Police have identified Enrique Arias Gil, a 37-year-old professor from Madrid, as a senior figure in the pro-Russian hacking network NoName057.
Europol added his face to its international database of fugitives this week. He is wanted for terrorist-related computer crimes, glorifying terrorism, and membership of a criminal organisation.
Investigators say Arias Gil, who also went by the alias “Desinformador Ruso,” used his academic credentials and public appearances in Spanish media to hide his real role: supporting Moscow’s most aggressive hacking cell.
He managed a Telegram channel of the same name that spread propaganda to more than 11,000 followers.
Authorities accuse him of passing sensitive information about Spain’s critical infrastructure and security forces to Russian hackers, helping them carry out hundreds of attacks.
NoName057 has been one of the Kremlin’s most active cyber arms since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Spain is among its top global targets.
The group has launched more than 500 attacks against Spanish institutions, including on election day in July 2023 when it tried to cripple the websites of the Interior Ministry, Moncloa, the electoral board, and Correos.
It has also hit regional parliaments, media outlets, and transport systems. The group specialises in coordinated “denial of service” attacks, flooding websites with traffic to knock them offline.
Despite his academic achievements, including a doctorate in International Security, multiple master’s degrees, and publications in respected institutes, Arias Gil allegedly used his expertise to strengthen pro-Russian operations.
Police sources say he is currently hiding in Russia. Judge Francisco de Jorge of Spain’s National Court has issued an international arrest warrant, though cooperation from Moscow is seen as unlikely.
The hunt for Arias Gil follows July’s massive “Operation Eastwood,” a Europol-led crackdown involving 19 countries. That operation dismantled much of NoName057’s infrastructure and blocked more than 100 servers.
Even so, Spanish authorities warn that the cyber threat remains significant.
Arias Gil’s inclusion on Europol’s most wanted list underscores the scale of the danger posed by state-linked hacking groups, and the unsettling reality that a respected professor turned out to be one of their leading operatives.
