UPDATED 09:56 EDT / AUGUST 01 2011

Arrested Teenage Activist Believed to be ‘Topiary’ Out on Bail

Late last week, news broke that Lulzsec’s famed spokesperson ‘Topiary’ was arrested by the Metropolitan Police, but there have been speculations that the wrong guy was nabbed and it was all part of the plan to mislead the authorities.  The identity of the arrested was withheld until today, when the arraignment was made public.

Eighteen-year-old Jake Davis, believed to be the infamous ‘Topiary’, appeared in court holding a copy of the book Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science – as if silently making a statement.  He was charged on Sunday night with offenses under the Computer Misuse Act, the Serious Crime Act, and the Criminal Law Act.  Davis is accused of being involved in attacks on Sony, SOCA, Britain’s National Health Service and Murdoch’s UK newspaper arm News International.

District Judge Howard Riddle ruled that Davis should be released on bail, which includes wearing an electronic tag to ensure his compliance of the 10pm – 7am curfew at his family home and a ban on using the Internet or any mobile device that has web access, which extends to not using the internet through other people, pending another appearance at Southwark Crown Court on Aug. 30.

“As far as bail is concerned it is clear that there is strong evidence you have been involved in and linked with a group or organization that has committed very serious offences but I bear in mind the following: you are still only 18.  You’ve not been in trouble before.  I accept it is clear to me that these proceedings have been a considerable shock to you.”  Riddle stated.

The arrest last Thursday did not do its job of instilling fear into the hearts of hackers.  In fact, it only aggravated the situation.  The following day, July 29, Anonymous backfired by publishing 390 megabytes files from the Washington-based government contractor ManTech in bittorrent form, including reports related to NATO and the U.S. Army, as well as personnel files.

A statement published by Anonymous read: “Dear Government and Law Enforcement, we are repeating this message as we have the suspicion you still do not take us seriously: We are not scared anymore and your threats to arrest us are meaningless.  We will continue to demonstrate how you fail at about every aspect of cybersecurity while burning hundreds of millions of dollars that you do not even have.  We are providing these ManTech documents so the public can see for themselves how their tax money is being spent but don’t you worry, the U.S. is a rich country and can afford to waste money, right?”

It seems like not even the law can stop these hackers from causing chaos, as arrests only cause more radical hacker activities.  We’ll have to return to the Stone Age before these hactivists calm down.


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