Key hacktivist arrest
By Asha

The world was mesmerized to see hacktivist groups Anonymous and LulzSec easily break into the websites of everyone from CIA to Sony.  PayPal and Visa were subjected to denial of service attacks. Most recently, LulzSec made international headlines when they hacked into the websites of News Corp and diverted all readers to the prank news that the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch had passed away.  The hacktivist group spokesman ‘Topiary’ (who is associated with both groups) regaled their many admirers with his mastery of public relations and clever turn of phrase.

The core group was untouchable till now, and they enjoyed using their Twitter account to tease and taunt everyone in authority and their many critics.  The British Police have just announced what they claim is the first arrest of a core team member

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Man arrested in e-crime investigation
27 July 2011
 
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) today (27 July) arrested a 19-year-old man in a pre-planned intelligence-led operation.

The man arrested is believed to be linked to an ongoing international investigation in to the criminal activity of the so-called "hacktivist" groups Anonymous and LulzSec, and uses the online nickname “Topiary” which is presented as the spokesperson for the groups.

He was arrested at a residential address in the Shetland Islands and is currently being transported to a police station in central London. A search is ongoing at the address.

A residential address in Lincolnshire is also being searched. A 17-year-old male is being interviewed under caution in connection with the inquiry. He has not been arrested.

Today’s operation is linked to PCeU’s ongoing investigation into network intrusions and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against a number of international business and intelligence agencies by what is believed to be the same hacking group.

It was carried out with the assistance of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) and Lincolnshire Constabulary.
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