Written by: Hanjunjade
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) claims that a 25-year-old man named Mathew Flannery is the leader of International hacking group LulzSec, based on what he describes as a single joke message on Facebook.
Last month, Flannery was sentenced to 15 months of home detention when he was convicted of five hacking charges. When he was arrested in April last year, the police had called him the “self-described leader” of LulSec. This claim had shocked Flannery when he was bailed.
“I went to a computer in the library because, you know, they’d taken mine, and I started Googling [sic] and to my shock and horror I found that not only was I being reported by Australian news agencies, but also internationally,” Flannery told 7.30, an ABC news program.
An examination of court documents found that he had only referred to LulSec once, which he had said was a joke Facebook message to his friend.
“I would like to know if that is solely what they are basing their claims off of and, if so, then why did the AFP – in a press release in front of the world – state that I had made claims in online chat communities that were frequented by LulzSec members that I was the leader of LulzSec?” Flannery said.
The AFP’s national manager of cybercrime, Commander Glen McEwen said that the police were unsure if Flannery had ever even been a LulSec member. However, his boasting had attracted their attention.
“That’s something I cannot confirm,” Commander McEwen said.
“As you’d appreciate, the virtual world and the anonymity as such, people come together for certain reasons and move away.
“I cannot categorically say that the individual was part of LulzSec but I definitely can’t discount that.”
Commander McEwen continued to back his claims, stating that Flannery was a risk to Australian society.
“I don’t make any excuse or apologise for the activity of the AFP in relation to this matter,” he said referring to other recent arrests.
The hack in question involved placing an offensive image on the Narrabri Shire Council website. Internet chat logs reveal that the hack had been carried out by a teenage accomplice.
7:30 had found that the teenage accomplice was actually responsible for the hack and although his house was raided by police, he was never charged.
Hacking sources claim that Flannery had requested for the hack because he had lacked the technical skill to carry out even a basic attack on his own.
“Why were people raided as a result of my arrest – because they were associated with me? Why were they raided?” Flannery asked.
“And saying this serves no benefit to me, it’s more a question of the AFP’s integrity.
“Why were those people raided and arrested for much more serious offences and yet saw no charges or any kind of media attention whatsoever?” he said, referring to other recent arrests.
Commander McEwen compared virtual crime to physical break-and-entry robbery, saying that the AFP stood behind the arrest.
______________________________________________________________________________
References
ABC News, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-10/afp-methods-questioned-as-hacker-claims-he-was-wrongly-accused/5879380
The other were not charged because they either work with or for the government to batch people.
They spent so much time and money to catch someone that they had to set someone up and plaster them through the media.
I thought that Sabu was the leader, and after he turned against the groupo it dissolved. Been years since I last heard an update from LulzSec, AntiSec and the other small groups.
someone got busted with his mouth wide open talkin a load of ……. Bull…… Hang your big mouth and head in shame Flannery….. Disgrace
LOL dooms day of xp. who wasnt in the police networks?
Here’s his skype. [*]
[* Moderated: no contact info are allowed]
Ha yeah when is it illegal to post fb jokes? silly police state bs to get us to keep quiet …. I AM SPARTICUS