12 Russians indicted in Mueller probe

Special counsel Robert Mueller has indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers in the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Clinton presidential campaign.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the indictment on Friday at a press conference in Washington DC.

"Free and fair elections are hard-fought and contentious, and there will always be adversaries who work to exacerbate domestic differences and try to confuse, divide and conquer us," the New York Times quoted Rosenstein, as saying.

"So long as we are united in our commitment to the shared values enshrined in the Constitution, they will not succeed," he added.

All 12 defendants are members of the GRU, a Russian federation intelligence agency, who were acting in "their official capacities."

Several media reports state that eleven are charged with conspiring to hack into networks used by the DNC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).The twelfth individual is charged with conspiring to hack into systems used to administer elections.

"The indictments Rod Rosenstein announced are good news for all Americans. The Russians are nailed. No Americans are involved. Time for Mueller to end this pursuit of the President and say President Trump is completely innocent," Trump's private attorney Rudy Giuliani tweeted.

The 29-page indictment comes barely few days prior to President Trump's scheduled meet with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Helsinki, Finland.