Ryan Cleary, a 19-year-old from Essex, was arrested on Monday night. The Metropolitan Police have since revealed he is accused of taking part in a distributed-denial-of-service attack against the website of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), according to a report from The Telegraph.
That attack, which took place on the day of Cleary's arrest, was claimed by hacker group Lulz Security.
Other charges suggest police already had their eye on the teenager. Cleary is also charged with attacks against the websites of the BPI and International Federation of the Phonographic Industry last year. Both of those attacks had been attributed to Anonymous.
The report said Cleary was in the middle of an attack against a UK-based website at the time of the police raid, leading to predictions he'll face trial here rather than be extradited to the USA.
While Cleary has yet to be formally accused of taking part in attacks against US sites, the FBI was involved in the investigation.
Census hoax
The Office of National Statistics has said a rumoured attack against its systems to steal Census data was a hoax.
An online post using Lulz Security imagery claimed the hackers had swiped this year's Census data, but the group said on its Twitter feed that it wasn't involved.
"The claim that hackers got in looks like a hoax and our investigation concluded that there is no sign of any suspicious activity. The alleged hackers have also denied any involvement," Census director Glen Watson told The Guardian.
"However, we are not complacent and will remain vigilant. The security and confidentiality of Census data remain our top priority."
This article originally appeared at pcpro.co.uk
