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Accused SOCA attacker reportedly 'keen' to help cops

Bail rejected at Thursday hearing

A 19-year-old UK man accused of taking part in an attack on the website of the Serious Oranised Crime Agency was denied bail during a brief court hearing on Thursday.

Ryan Cleary didn't enter a plea to the five offenses Metropolitan Police leveled against him on Wednesday, according to media reports. The judge at the Westminster Magistrates' Court ruled there was insufficient information to set bail and scheduled another hearing for Saturday morning. He is being held at the Charing Cross police station in central London.

Cleary's lawyer told the AFP that the Wickford, Essex-based man "has been assisting with police inquiries so far and is keen to continue doing so." The Guardian reported that FBI agents have arrived in Britain and may be given access to evidence collected by UK police.

Cleary was arrested on Monday and has remained in police custody ever since, as authorities investigate a string of DDoS, or distributed denial-of-service, recent attacks that have hit a variety of sites, including one belonging to the Central Intelligence Agency.

The five offenses leveled against Cleary on Wednesday included participation in DDoS attacks against SOCA, the British Phonographic Industry, and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Two additional charges accuse him of helping to construct a botnet for the purposes of mounting DDoS attacks and supplying a botnet to assist in the commission of unspecified offenses. ®

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