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14 arrested in crackdown targeting Anonymous

Computers seized in early morning raids

More than a dozen people were arrested in early morning raids Tuesday in what was described as a major legal offensive against the Anonymous hacker collective, it was widely reported.

The arrests of at least 14 individuals coincided with raids in New York, California, New Jersey, and Florida, the reports said, citing unnamed people in law enforcement. A senior official told CNN that a total of 15 arrests are expected following the execution of the same number of search warrants.

FBI agents seized computers and other records from at least four locations in New York, including Long Island, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. More than 10 agents converged on the Long Island home of Giordani Jordan, Fox News said. Other arrests were made by agents located in the FBI's field office in San Francisco, which executed multiple warrants.

The arrests follow the June arrest of Ryan Cleary, the 19-year-old Wickford, Essex–based man who was eventually charged with participating in attacks that shut down the the websites of the British Serious Organised Crime Agency and two music-industry groups. Cleary's attorney has said his client was “keen” on cooperating with authorities.

LulzSec, considered by many to be a splinter group of Anonymous, took credit for DDoS, or distributed denial-of-service, attacks on the SOCA and Central Intelligence Agency websites, as well as assaults that breached the security of websites operated by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the US Senate.

Anonymous has claimed responsibility for DDoS attacks on PayPal, MasterCard, and Visa in retaliation for those services' suspension of accounts belonging to WikiLeaks.

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