Alleged LulzSec Leader Arrested In Australia

The Australian Federal Police arrested a man in Sydney on Monday who claims to be the leader of Lulz Security, more commonly known as LulzSec. Though his name has not been revealed, ABC News Australia reports that he is 24-years-old, and worked in a "position of trust" in a NSW-local branch of an international IT company. Because of his work position, he had access to government client data.

The name of the company for which he worked has not been specified, nor has the exact position he held. Says the AFP's Commander Glen McEwan, he is someone "known to international law enforcement," and that he is the first LulzSec member to be arrested by them. His arrest took place after being under surveillance for less than two weeks, something that was prompted by a compromised government website.

As a result, the alleged leader has been arrested and charged with one count of unauthorized access to a restricted computer system, as well as two counts of unauthorized modification of data to cause impairment. Such charges have a maximum prison sentence of 12 years. Some of the Australian targets of the hacking collective are said to be departments of the Victorian and NSW governments, local councils, and AusAid. In addition, ten high schools and universities had their login information and email accounts leaked.

The claim that this individual is LulzSec's leader comes from posts he allegedly made on forums, in which he claimed to be the leader. The AFP also says that they have talked about it with him, and that he has discussed it. He's due back in court on May 15. Says Commander McEwen: "The AFP will not tolerate the attempts of hackers to damage or destroy the online property of Australian individuals, companies or national infrastructure resources."

[via ABC News]