Arrested LulzSec Affiliate Has Asperger's Claims Lawyer

Ryan Cleary, the teenager charged last week with attacks against the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and other organizations, is suffering from Asperger's syndrome and agoraphobia.

Cleary, 19, was arrested at his house in Wickford, Essex, on June 21, one day after the infamous hacker group LulzSec announced a distributed denial-of-service attack against the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) website as part of its Anti-Security campaign.

Police investigators claim that Cleary was responsible for creating and controlling the botnet used in the SOCA attack and others.

The teenager was charged with four offenses under the Computer Misuse Act and one under the Criminal Law Act.

During a hearing at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday, Cleary's lawyer said the teenager was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, and agoraphobia, a fear of public spaces.

According to the BBC, the teenager was initially granted bail, but prosecutors objected to his release, so he remains in custody. A bail appeal is scheduled for August.

LulzSec members openly stated that Cleary is not part of the group and is only loosely affiliated with them. However, he used to be a known supporter of the Anonymous hacktivist collective and is believed to have participated in many of its campaigns.

Some weeks ago, following disagreements within the group the teenager took over Anonymous' IRC server and several of its domains, actions that led to other members dumping personal information about him in the public domain.

The public availability of his correct name, address and telephone number, made Cleary an easy target for authorities, who probably had him under surveillance for some time.

LulzSec has since disbanded claiming that the group's purpose has been achieved. However, critics claim the decision to split up came as increasing heat from law enforcement agencies and other hackers.