X
Tech

Spamhaus DDoS suspect extradited, faces Dutch court

The 35 year old suspect has been handed over to Dutch police by Spanish authorities, while the investigation into the attacks continues.
Written by Michiel van Blommestein, Contributor
spanish-press-photo
Spanish police making the arrest. Image: La Policía Nacional

A Dutch national suspected of coordinating a massive DDoS attack on Spamhaus in March was handed over to Dutch authorities by their Spanish counterparts earlier this week, the Dutch prosecutor has announced.

The 35 year old appeared before a court in Rotterdam on Wednesday, where he faces charges related to the recent cyberattacks that targeted the non-profit spam-fighting organisation and some of its partners, including security company Cloudflare.

According to the prosecutor's office, the individual — who known only as SK due to privacy laws — will be charged with at least two counts of computer intrusion. For now, the suspect is to be jailed for 14 days until the judge has made a decision concerning whether to extend his detention ahead of a trial.

The suspect was arrested last month in the Spanish town of Grannolers, 35km north of Barcelona.

The arrest was part of a major international investigation into the attacks, which the hackers themselves dubbed 'Operation Stophaus'.

The Dutch prosecutor has confirmed that more than one party was involved in the attack. The investigation, led by the Dutch High Tech Crime police unit, is still ongoing.

The attacks were of such scale that Spamhaus was taken offline for five days, and internet exchanges in Amsterdam and London were also affected. Spamhaus' escalation policy, which can result in ISPs being blacklisted for not blocking spammers identified by the organisation, has in the past attracted the ire of some service providers.

Editorial standards