Love Bug arrest made in Manila

MiCr0

from rte.ie

Philippine authorities have detained a 27-year-old man after searching the home of the suspected creator of the "Love Bug" computer virus , officials said this morning. The unidentified man was led in handcuffs by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officers from the back of a flat in a three-storey building in the Pandacan area of the capital Manila. Before being led away, the man had been questioned by investigators inside the flat. NBI chief Federico Opinion said agents had obtained a search warrant after three days of fruitless efforts to seize evidence that might point to the source of the virus which penetrated computers last week, including those of the Pentagon, CIA and British Parliament.


Gil Alnas, chairman of the local residents' council, told reporters outside the raided home that criminal investigators had seized 17 items -- but they did not include a computer. NBI officials said a search warrant was issued under the Access Device Act, which governs use of codes, account numbers and passwords giving access to different types of devices. The law provides for a maximum punishment of 20 years in jail. An NBI official has said that the main suspect in the case was a 23-year old woman living in the Pandacan area. Neighbours said a man and a woman with no children lived in the home.

looks like they may be grabing @ straws


[This message has been edited by MiCr0 (edited 08-05-2000).]

MiCr0

from the register.co.uk

Philippine Feds have finally got a body in custody. They've detained a 27-year-old man after searching the house where, it is believed, the owner of the computer which launched the Love Bug virus resides.

An unidentified man was led away in handcuffs by Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officers from a flat in the capital, Manila.

NBI chief Federico Opinion said his agents obtained a search warrant after a weekend of frustration. Virus authorship is not a crime in the Philippines, so authorities faced a considerable challenge in figuring out what to charge the suspect with.

The NBI said they finally obtained a warrant under the Access Device Act, which addresses the illegal the use of account numbers and passwords. The Act provides for an incredible maximum penalty of 20 years in gaol.

The NBI said earlier that the suspect was a young woman living in Manila. They arrested a different suspect after interviewing residents of the flat where she lives.

NBI sources wisely aired the possibility that the suspect is not the virus author, but might be the victim of an infected computer.

"The user here is invisible, it could be anybody. The person we have identified is the registered owner of that computer," an NBI official noted.

The FBI traced the virus to the Philippines through an 'obvious' electronic trail. Too obvious, perhaps. On Saturday, a Swedish computer security specialist cast doubt on the FBI theory, saying he believed that a German exchange student located in Australia is responsible for the bug.

If so, it would hardly mark the first time the FBI was humiliated by a teenager.

US National Infrastructure Protection Centre (NIPC) Director Michael Vatis was extremely cautious in early interviews Monday, noting repeatedly that it's impossible to nail down a perpetrator until the hard drive is recovered and read.

this makes it sound even more unlikely that this is the person who did it.
btw did u notice that its not illegal to write virii(sic) in the phil..



[This message has been edited by MiCr0 (edited 08-05-2000).]

Lump

There supposed to be after a women now arentthey, I've got no reference, but thats what I here.

John

Hobbes

Try Wired more up todate.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,36187,00.html?tw=wn20000508


They are looking for his G/F. Problem is there is no hacking laws there, also when they raided the place the computer had gone.