Two teenage members of the Lulzsec hacking group have pleaded guilty to charges that they attacked Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) Web site.
LulzSec has hit a series of other major sites round the world, including the NHS, News International, Sony, Nintendo, 20th Century Fox, PBS, and HBGary, though Ryan Cleary, 19, and Jake Davis deny being involved in these attacks.
A trial date for Cleary, Davis, and two others, Ryan Ackroyd, 25, and a 17-year-old boy, has been set for April 2013.
Cleary faces charges in the US, but last week his lawyer said the US government does not plan to request his extradition.
“We understand that the US prosecutor has stated that should Mr. Cleary be dealt with by the UK courts in respect of these charges then the US will not seek Mr Cleary’s extradition,” according to a statement attributed to Karen Todner, managing director of Kaim Todner Solicitors.
Cleary has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a neurological disorder related to autism characterised by deficiencies in social interaction, according to Todner’s office. Extradition to the US would be “totally undesirable,” Todner’s statement said.