Police have arrested a 41 year old man over an alleged cyber-attack on the websites of Home Secretary Theresa May and the Home Office.
The man from Stoke-on-Trent was arrested by Metropolitan Police on suspicion of encouraging a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. Police claim that he tried to overwhelm the websites with the intention of causing them to crash, as well as urging others to join the attack. Computers, telephones and media storage devices were among items seized from his home.The charge is suspicion of assisting or encouraging crime contrary to the Serious Crime Act 2007.
He has been bailed until mid-December.
A DDoS attack floods a webserver with so many requests that it loses the ability to respond to legitimate users.
Detective Inspector Jason Tunn commented: "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."
The Home Office has said it does not wish to comment on the arrest.
