US prosecutors charge Iranian with Game of Thrones hack

• Behzad Mesri, alias Skote Vahshat, charged but whereabouts not revealed
• Mesri allegedly demanded $6m from HBO not to release unaired episodes

US prosecutors have charged an Iranian national with hacking into the HBO cable TV network and stealing episodes and plot summaries for unaired programs including Game of Thrones, then threatening to release the data unless he was paid $6m.

Behzad Mesri, also known as Skote Vahshat, was charged with the hack in a sealed indictment that was released on Tuesday by the US attorney's office in Manhattan. A spokesman with the US attorney's office said Mesri had not been arrested, and declined to comment on the suspect's whereabouts.