Spanish hackers busted

MADRID, May 17 (UPI) -- Five young people were in custody Saturday on charges they hacked into government Web sites from bases in four Spanish cities, authorities said.

The suspects, three of whom are minors and two others ages 19 and 20, were detained after police determined they were members of a computer hacking gang called "D.O.M." They allegedly were responsible for breaking into sites in the U.S., Latin America and Asia, RIA Novosti reported.

NASA's Web site also was among the possible targets of the group, the Russian news agency said. Police claimed they operated out of the Spanish cities of Barcelona, Malaga, Valencia and Burgos.

Police allege the youngsters hacked into 21,000 Web pages over the course of two years. RIA Novosti said the investigation began in March with the defacement of a Web site hosted by Izquierda Unida, a Spanish left wing political party.