The criminals responsible for the Christmas day PlayStation Network and Xbox Live hacks may have bitten off more than they could chew, as today a new suspect connected to the crime has been arrested.
The individual, a currently unnamed 18-year old man, was arrested in the English town of Southport, Merseyside. The arrest was the result of a joint operation between the South East Regional Organized Crime Unit (SEROCU) and the FBI to find the culprits behind the attack, which left millions of gamers unable to play their Xbox and PlayStation consoles online for several days.
According to Gamespot, the suspect was also arrested for his involvement in swatting, an act that involves calling the police and sending them to someone else’s home under false pretenses. Numerous incidents of swatting perpetrated by disgruntled Call of Duty players wanting revenge on rival players have occurred in the past.
Authorities seized a number of the suspect’s electronic devices, which will likely be examined for content that could be used to prosecute him.
In a statement, SEROCU Cyber Crime Unit head Craig Jones said:
This investigation is a good example of joint law enforcement cooperation in relation to a type of criminality that is not restricted by any geographical boundaries. We are still at the early stages of the investigation and there is still much work to be done. We will continue to work closely with the FBI to identify those to who commit offences and hold them to account.
Earlier in the month, police arrested another suspect, Vincent Omari, for his participation in cyber crimes. He was initially thought to have been one of the hackers behind the PSN and XBL attacks, but the Thames Valley Police later clarified that he had been arrested over PayPal scamming. Bizarrely, Omari denied that he was guilty of the PayPal crimes, but admitted he was a member of Lizard Squad, the collective believed to be responsible for the hacking attacks.