German investigators have included the cyberattack on diagnostic services provider Synnovis in an investigation into a detained Russian national and his associates, the BBC reports. The June 2024 attack severely disrupted laboratory services at London hospitals and affected more than 10,000 appointments.
According to BBC reporting published on 16 October, the suspect is alleged to be a key member of the cybercrime group Qilin. He was arrested in Japan and subsequently handed over to Germany, where he was wanted in connection with an attack on a German logistics company in September 2024. The new development is the reported inclusion of the Synnovis attack in the German investigation, rather than the arrest itself.
The alleged links to Qilin do not establish that the detained man personally took part in the attack on London’s medical services. The BBC report does not describe a final court ruling on his responsibility.
Cancelled operations and weeks of disruption
The cyberattack on Synnovis took place on 3 June 2024. The company provided diagnostic services to London hospitals, and the disruption affected tests needed for blood transfusions, among other services. Hospitals cancelled operations and diverted patients needing urgent care. According to the BBC, the disruption continued for many weeks.
The consequences went beyond unavailable systems and delayed tests. The BBC reports that the attackers published private data after their ransom demand went unpaid.
UK police also examining a patient’s death
A year after the attack, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which runs hospitals within the UK’s publicly funded health service, confirmed that a patient had died unexpectedly. As reported by the BBC, a patient safety investigation identified several factors that contributed to the death. A long wait for a blood test result was one of them; it was not identified as the sole cause.
The BBC also found that UK police are examining whether their investigation could lead to an unlawful killing case. This is a possible line of investigation, not an announcement that such a charge has been brought or that anyone’s criminal responsibility has been established.
