A British teenager has been arrested in a swoop by the FBI and Scotland Yard for allegedly hacking attacks on international businesses and intelligence agencies, the Metropolitan Police in London said on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old man is being questioned under the Computer Misuse Act and Fraud Act. He is suspected of leading the notorious Lulz Security hacking group and was arrested in a pre-planned intelligence-led operation in Wickford, Essex, the Metropolitan Police said.

Lulz Security has claimed responsibility for a number of online security breaches at organisations including Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency, the US Senate and CIA, as well as the games firms Nintendo and Sony. He was arrested by officers from the force's e-crime unit.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The arrest follows an investigation into network intrusions and distributed denial of service attacks against a number of international businesses and intelligence agencies by what is believed to be the same hacking group."
"Searches at a residential address in Wickford following the arrest last night have led to the examination of significant amount of material," the spokesman said.

"These forensic examinations remain ongoing. The Met and Essex Police are working in cooperation with the FBI", the spokesman added.
The teenager remains in custody at a central London Police station. Last night, Lulz Security claimed responsibility for crashing the Serious Organised Crime Agency website on Monday.