Alleged teen LulzSec hacker faces U.K. charges

LONDON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A teenager who allegedly hacked into computer systems was charged with various offenses, British law enforcement officials said.

Jake Davis, 18, arrested last week, was charged with unauthorized access to a computer system, conspiring with others to launch online attacks against the United Kingdom's Serious and Organized Crime Web site and other offenses The Wall Street Journal reported.

SOCA is the British equivalent of the FBI in the United States.

Davis was to appear in court in London Monday to face charges he launched denial of service attacks from his bedroom in the Shetland Islands, where he lives with his grandparents. Authorities alleged that Davis, using the name "Topiary," was involved in a variety of illegal Internet activities.

His arrest is part of a global crackdown against an Internet activist group known as Anonymous and its offshoot, LulzSec. The groups have claimed responsibility for a range of attacks against businesses, including Sony, and government agencies around the world.

Davis' grandfather told The Daily Telegraph he doesn't believe his grandson was involved.

"I just don't see him getting involved in anything criminal. He is not politically minded and I do not know why he would want to be a computer hacker," said Sam Davis, 76.

Davis said his grandson hasn't been in school the past year. He said the teeager enjoys communicating with his friends through the Internet from his bedroom.

"I am certain that if he was involved in something, which I don't think he was, then he did not know what he was doing," Davis said.