Suspected Anonymous member arrested in hacking probe

A 19-year-old man suspected of being a prominent member of the cyber-hacking groups Anonymous and LulzSec, responsible for attacks on corporate targets ranging from Visa and Mastercard to Sony and The Sun, has been arrested in a raid in the Shetland Isles.

The alleged hacker, who police believe is an activist using the online nickname “Topiary”, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police’s e-Crime Unit yesterday. He was being taken to London last night on suspicion of being involved in “network intrusions and Distributed Denial of Service attacks”. The LulzSec and Anonymous member “Topiary” is thought to be a spokesman for the first group, and an influential member of both.

Officers are searching the address in the Shetlands and a residential address in Lincolnshire. A second male, aged 17, is being interviewed under caution in connection with the inquiry, but has not been arrested.

A police spokesman said the arrest was linked to the ongoing investigation into hacks “against a number of international business and intelligence agencies”.