Laptop tracks, photographs suspected thief

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OAKLAND, Calif., June 3 (UPI) -- Police in California said a suspected laptop thief was arrested thanks to a program on the computer that tracked its movements and photographed the suspect.

Oakland police said Muthanna Aldebashi, 27, was arrested Tuesday after the victim, Joshua Kaufman, posted pictures of the suspect online, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.

Kaufman had installed a program on the Apple MacBook computer, which was stolen from his apartment in late March, that took photos of the suspect while he was using the computer and sent them to Kaufman. Kaufman said the program, called Hidden, also tracked the laptop's movements but officers told him they could not arrest the suspect due to a lack of resources.

However, police spokeswoman Holly Joshi said media inquiries led police to discover the case had mistakenly been labeled as closed and officers arrested Aldebashi by calling the taxi company he works for and arranging for a pick-up.

Police recovered the laptop from Aldebashi's home.

The suspect was taken to the Alameda County jail on suspicion of possessing stolen goods.