Police nab 25 'Anonymous' hackers in Latin America and Europe

Police nab 25 'Anonymous' hackers in Latin America and Europe

2012-02-29 22:44:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

LYON, France (BNO NEWS) ‒ More than two dozen suspected hackers belonging to a group who call themselves 'Anonymous' have been arrested in Latin America and Europe on Tuesday, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) said on Wednesday.

A total of 25 individuals across four countries in Latin America and Europe were arrested in an international operation, which was launched in mid-February following a series of coordinated cyber-attacks originating from Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Spain against the Colombian Ministry of Defense and presidential websites, as well as Chile's Endesa electricity company and its National Library, among others.

"This operation shows that crime in the virtual world does have real consequences for those involved, and that the Internet cannot be seen as a safe haven for criminal activity, no matter where it originates or where it is targeted," said Bernd Rossbach, Acting INTERPOL Executive Director of Police Services.

The Interpol-backed Operation Unmask, as it was dubbed, was carried out by national law enforcement officers in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Spain. Interpol said its Latin American Working Group of Experts on Information Technology (IT) Crime facilitated the sharing of intelligence following operational meetings in the four participating countries.

Some 250 items of IT equipment and mobile phones were also seized during searches of 40 premises across 15 cities during the operation, as well as payment cards and cash, as part of a continuing investigation into the funding of illegal activities carried out by the suspected hackers who are aged 17 to 40.

According to Spanish national police, four people were arrested in Spain, ten people were arrested in Argentina, six people were arrested in Chile, and five people were arrested in Colombia. Police said one of those arrested in Spain is a 16-year-old girl who is an alleged member of "sector 404," a hacking group which is believed to be linked to cyber attacks claimed by Anonymous.

In addition to the arrests and the equipment seized, authorities also closed two servers in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.

Websites of both INTERPOL and Spanish National Police were offline on early Wednesday morning, apparently caused by a retaliation attack which was claimed by Anonymous.

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