Update 2: Thames Valley Police has clarified that Vinnie Omari’s arrest was not specifically related to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live outages that took place over the holiday period.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police told GameSpot that Omari was arrested late in December in connection with funds stolen from the online money transfer platform PayPal–crimes that are alleged to have taken place during the summer months of 2014.
Law enforcement officials around the world are investigating who was responsible for the DDoS attacks that brought down both Microsoft and Sony’s online networks during Christmas, but Thames Valley officials say they have no information on this specific incident.
Lizard Squad, the name for an online collective of hackers, is thought to be responsible for the PSN and Xbox Live outages, but this has not been proven.
With regards to the alleged PayPal thefts, Omari has denied the charges put against him. He claims he is a spokesman for Lizard Squad, but was not responsible for the PayPal hacks.
Update 1: Finnish site Yle reports that a second person linked to the Xbox Live and PlayStation Network outages, a 17-year-old going by “Ryan,” has been brought in for questioning by Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation. He has not been arrested, however, according to the report.
The original story is below.
A person linked to the Christmas Day Xbox Live and PlayStation Network outages has been arrested by British police, according to a new report. The Daily Dot has obtained the copy of search warrant for 22-year-old Vinnie Omari, who was supposedly booked Monday before posting bail.
“They took everything,” Omari told the Daily Dot. “Xbox One, phones, laptops, computer USBs, etc.”
A press release from The Thames Valley Police shows that a 22-year-old male from Twickenham was arrested December 30 “on suspicion of fraud by false representation and Computer Misuse Act offenses.” He’s due in court in March 2015.
Lizard Squad took responsibility for the Christmas Day DDoS attacks against Xbox Live and PlayStation Network that led to the major interruption of both online networks. Xbox Live returned to normal operation in about a day, while the PlayStation Network was largely unavailable for around three days.
Omari told the Daily Dot that no actual charges have been filed, only alleged charges.
In addition to Omari, another person with ties to Lizard Squad, someone going by “Ryan,” is reportedly being investigated by the FBI in connection to the gaming network outages.
The King Lizard will never be arrested.
— R.I.U. Lizard Squad (@LizardMafia) December 31, 2014
Further details are not available at this time, due in part to the New Year holiday. GameSpot will continue to track this story as new details become available.
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