German police Tuesday arrested a 22-year-old man in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate billed as the main suspect in a multinational cybercriminal investigation that targeted hackers that are globally active and those believed to have engaged in a variety of Internet crimes.
European authorities, including 700 police, raided 175 apartments and office buildings across Germany and conducted searches in the Netherlands, France and Canada that also resulted in the arrest of a second individual, Bloomberg reported.
Nearly 170 suspects are under investigation as part of the probe.
The cybergang allegedly sold software used to conceal malware, blackmail individuals, steal password and banking data, and commit other crimes ranging from fraud to extortion.
Officials seized more than 300 computers and data storage devices, several kilograms of an unspecified drug, and weapons, prosecutors and police said in a statement, The Star Online said citing an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report.
