Teenager arrested in Essex over LulzSec hacking attacks

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Source: Guardian

The international hunt for hackers believed to have staged high-profile attacks on websites ranging from law enforcement bodies to Sony has led to the arrest of a teenager based in Essex, police say. The hackers known as LulzSec claim to have been behind attacks on websites around the world, including the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), the US Senate and the CIA, as well as the games firms Nintendo and Sony.

British police said intelligence led them to arrest the 19-year-old at a home in Wickford, Essex, over the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. The teenager is Ryan Cleary, who lived at his family home. Investigators believe the arrest is significant and linked to the attacks based mainly at websites belonging to US institutions and organisations.

The operation involved two British forces as well as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The police said they believed the attacks were linked and were carried out by the same group of hackers.

The teenager was being questioned at a London police station while specialist officers examined computer equipment seized from the address he was arrested at. The Metropolitan police said: "Officers from the Metropolitan police central e-crime unit (PCeU) have arrested a 19-year-old man in a pre-planned intelligence-led operation.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/21/hackers-lulzsec-arrest-essex-census

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UK radio had claimed the teen was a 'ringleader' of LulzSec.

LulzSec says not, but if they are targeting banks, it's only a matter of time.