The FBI is investigating how the hacktivist group Anonymous got wind of an international law enforcement conference call they ran on their criminal investigation into the group, audio of which was posted online this week.
“The information obtained on the call was intended for law enforcement only. It was illegally obtained and a FBI criminal investigation is underway,” an FBI spokesman said in a statement to TPM.
The conference call evidently took place on Jan. 17 and involved discussions of ongoing investigations into the online group. A 16-minute long recording posted online involves discussions between several FBI offices and law enforcement officials in London.
A London official said they set back arrests for two individuals so that the U.S. investigation could continue. “I just want to express our gratitude for being flexible on this, I know New York appreciates it and the FBI as a whole as well,” one FBI official says.
Anonymous evidently blacked out the names of the suspects mentioned by officials. Here’s how one London official describes a suspect who goes by the name of “tehwongz”:
“He’s a 15-year-old kid who’s, um, basically just doing this all for attention, and a bit of an idiot.”
He later described him as a “pain in the bum” and “another wannabe type character.” An FBI official said the FBI’s Baltimore office was investigating a matter allegedly involving tehwongz.
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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