Alleged hacker Cleary to remain in custody

Ryan Cleary, the Essex teenager accused of attacks on music industry and British police systems, has been held in custody for another three days after a hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The 19-year-old man has been detained for further questioning by police, according to reports. He is charged with involvement in hacking and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, in particular on websites belonging to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Activist hacking group Anonymous has said it took down the IFPI and BPI sites, and the group and LulzSec have laid claim to the Soca attack. These claims suggest a link between Cleary and those groups, and some reports have suggested that the teenager may play a leading role in LulzSec.

Cleary, who faces five charges under the Criminal Law Act and Computer Misuse Act, was arrested in a raid on his home on Monday. The raid followed an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU), with input from the FBI.