25 Alleged Anons Arrested in International Crackdown
Police in four nations arrested 25 alleged participants in the Anonymous collective Tuesday for attacks against websites in Columbia and Chile dating from the middle of 2011.
Officers in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Spain worked together in “Operation Unmask,” seizing 250 pieces of equipment, including phones, during searches of 40 locations in 15 cities, according to INTERPOL. The arrestees were between the ages of 17 and 40, but their names and locations were not released.
“This operation shows that crime in the virtual world does have real consequences for those involved, and that the Internet cannot be seen as a safe haven for criminal activity, no matter where it originates or where it is targeted,” said Bernd Rossbach, Acting INTERPOL Executive Director of Police Services, in the INTERPOL release.
The arrests come as Anonymous has become a powerful online force. On Monday, WikiLeaks sprang back to life, publishing e-mails from a controversial private intelligence firm known as Stratfor that were obtained by Anonymous hackers. Anonymous’ recent activities have ranged from coordinating protests against ACTA in Europe and supporting the Arab Spring with online logistics to conducting regularly scheduled Friday hacks intended to embarrass law enforcement and corporations.