LulzSec: Shetland teen charged over computer hacking claims

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Police are investigating hacking attacks on the Serious and Organised Crime Agency's website.

A man from the Shetland Islands has been charged with computer offences by police investigating hacking attacks.

Jake Davis, 18, was charged with unauthorised computer access and conspiracy to carry out a distributed denial of service attack on the Serious Organised Crime Agency's website.

He faces five charges and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, police said.

Police are investigating hacking groups known as Anonymous and LulzSec.

Officers from the police's Central e-Crime Unit arrested the teenager in what they describe as a "pre-planned intelligence-led operation" on Wednesday.

The UK Serious Organised Crime agency took its website offline for several hours on 20 June after it appeared to be a victim of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. LulzSec claimed responsibility for the attack.

DDoS is where large numbers of computers, under malicious control, overload their target with web requests.

Ryan Cleary, 19, of Wickford, Essex, was charged last month with five offences under the Criminal Law and Computer Misuse Acts, including an alleged hacking attack against Soca's website.

LulzSec has previously also claimed responsibility for hacking attacks on the US Senate, Sony, the CIA and the Sun newspaper.

A 16-year-old boy from south London was arrested and bailed last week, while the international investigation has also led to sixteen arrests in the United States and four in the Netherlands.

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