Teenager arrested in Netherlands over cyber attacks for WikiLeaks

THE HAGUE - A 16-year-old suspected hacker has been arrested in the Netherlands for allegedly having attacked the websites of Mastercard and Visa, Dutch authorities said.

The attacks appeared to retaliation against the credit card companies for their refusal to process any more donations to WikiLeaks.

According to a report in the Dutch daily De Volkskrant which cited police sources, the young man admitted the crime. Police suspect he belongs “to a larger group of hackers which is under investigation”.

De Volkskrant said several computers and USB memory devices were seized from the teenager, who was expected to appear before court Friday in Rotterdam.

A group called Anonymous, which is made up of an uncertain number of anti-censorship hackers, has so far managed to temporarily disable the website of Mastercard and Visa.

WikiLeaks’ release of its third tranche of leaked secret US government documents - US diplomatic cables from the US State Department - has provoked a type of cyber warfare as critics of the leaks also try to shut down the WikiLeaks website by overwhelming it with targetted log-ons. WikiLeaks supporters, however, seem ready to retaliate.