U.K. Police Arrest Man Over Home Secretary Website Attack

Police arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with a suspected cyberattack on the websites of U.K. Home Secretary Theresa May and her agency.

The man from Staffordshire, England, was arrested today on “suspicion of assisting or encouraging crime” in relation to a so-called denial-of-service attack, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said today. He was later released on bail.

Material including computers, telephones and associated media storage devices were removed from the address as part of the investigation by the Police Central e-Crime Unit. A denial- of-service attack occurs when a website gets too many visits at once causing the website to go offline.

The Home Office declined to comment on the case when contacted by phone. A call to May’s office wasn’t immediately returned.

“Assisting and encouraging cyber crime is a serious matter and I would advise all persons to consider their actions and any possible future consequences prior to posting any material online,” Jason Tunn, a Met police detective inspector, said in an e-mailed statement.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jeremy Hodges in London at jhodges17@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net