2 arrested in hacking probe

Two men remained in custody Friday after being arrested in connection with online attacks by hacking gangs "Anonymous" and "LulzSec", police said. The men, aged 24 and 20, were arrested in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and Warminster, Wiltshire in England, for conspiring to commit offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Scotland Yard said the arrests yesterday were part of a continuing investigation in collaboration with the FBI, South Yorkshire Police and other law enforcement bodies, into activities of Anonymous and LulzSec, especially in connection with suspected offences under the cover of online identity "Kayla". A spokesman said the men were arrested separately at addresses in Mexborough, near Doncaster, and Warminster. He said the Doncaster address was searched by police and computer equipment was removed for forensic examination. The men have been detained at police stations in South Yorkshire and central London. Detective Inspector Mark Raymond from the Metropolitan Police's Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU), said: "The arrests relate to our inquiries into a series of serious computer intrusions and online denial-of-service attacks recently suffered by a number of multi-national companies, public institutions and government and law enforcement agencies in Great Britain and the United States. "We are working to detect and bring before the courts those responsible for these offences, to disrupt such groups, and to deter others thinking of participating in this type of criminal activity." In a separate but similar investigation into hacking two men were charged yesterday over online attacks by international hacking gang Anonymous, Scotland Yard said. Christopher Weatherhead, 20, and Ashley Rhodes, 26, have been charged with conspiracy to carry out an unauthorised act in relation to a computer. Police had already charged a youth from Chester, England, aged 17 and student Peter David Gibson, 22, from Hartlepool, in relation to the same offences. All four will appear on bail at City of Westminster Magistrates Court on September seventh.