Two arrested in UK as part of Anonymous investigation

The Metropolitan Police arrested two suspects today for conspiring to commit offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

The arrests were made as part of an investigation with the FBI, South Yorkshire Police and other law enforcement bodies into hacking groups Anonymous and LulzSec, and in particular the activities of the online identity ‘Kayla’.

The suspects, two men aged 20 and 24, were arrested separately in Doncaster, South Yorkshire and at Warminster, Wiltshire. They have since been detained at police stations for further enquiries and interviews.

Police reported that they also searched the Doncaster address and took a computer for forensic examination.

Detective Inspector Mark Raymond, from the Police Service’s Central e-Crime Unit, said: "The arrests relate to our enquiries 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."

These arrests came after Christopher Jan Weatherhead (20) and Ashley Rhodes (26) were charged yesterday with conspiracy to do an unauthorised act in relation to a computer. They are due to appear on bail at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 7 September. Two others have previously been charged in relation to the same case, a 17-year-old from Chester and Peter David Gibson, 22.