Reuters reported - citing documents submitted by the US Department of Justice to the court - that 3 former US intelligence agents - who worked as mercenary hackers for the UAE - are facing federal charges of conspiracy to violate laws related to piracy.
The three men - Mark Baer, Ryan Adams and Daniel Gerek - were part of a secret unit called Project Raven, which helped the UAE spy on its enemies, Reuters reported.
The three US intelligence agents also face charges related to breaching military export restrictions.
"The defendants used illegal, fraudulent and criminal means, including the use of secret advanced hacking systems in the United States and elsewhere, to unauthorized intrusion into protected computers in the United States and elsewhere and to obtain information without legal basis," the document said.
Al-Jazeera correspondent in Washington, Fadi Mansour, said that press reports spoke of the defendants' acknowledgment of the first and second charges;
Any charge of conspiracy, piracy and a charge of violating restrictions and laws related to the issue of exporting military technology.
He added that one of those accused was the director of the secret unit "Project Raven", in which he previously worked for more than 10 former agents of the American intelligence, noting that press reports also talk about helping the UAE accused to penetrate American networks, and spy on American citizens, which is what Puts them under US law.