LYON, France, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- More than two dozen members of the Internet group Anonymous were arrested by Interpol for cyberattacks in Latin American and Spain, the police force said.
Interpol announced that around 25 individuals from four countries in Latin America and Europe were apprehended following an operation launched in mid-February.
"This operation shows that crime in the virtual world does have real consequences for those involved and that the Internet cannot be seen as a safe haven for criminal activity, no matter where it originates or where it is targeted," Bernd Rossbach, acting Interpol executive director of police services, said in a statement.
Interpol said the suspects were involved in coordinated cyberattacks against Web sites operated by government agencies. The international police force said the attacks originated from Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Spain.
More than 200 pieces of equipment were seized along with cash and payment cards, Interpol said.
Anonymous recently launched a cyberattack on private intelligence company Stratfor. Watchdog group Wikileaks has been publishing e-mail messages it says are from the intelligence company.
Interpol's Web site was allegedly disrupted by Anonymous but was back online by Wednesday.
