WikiLeaks cyber attacks lead to 5 arrests

Fivemen have been arrested in connection with recent cyber attacks conducted by an internet hacking group that has backed WikiLeaks, British police said.

The five, aged from 15 to 26, were arrested Thursday at their homes across the U.K. for their alleged involvement in hacking several company websites, police reported.

Thecyber attacks were carried out by an online group called Anonymous, police said.

Theloose-knit group of activistspreviously claimed responsibility forattacking websites of companies that have severed links with WikiLeaks since it began publishing its massive trove of secret U.S. diplomatic cablesin November.

MasterCard, Visa, Amazon and PayPalwere among those targetedbythe campaign of denial-of-service attacks launchedin December.

Such attacks flood websites with traffic, making them unavailable.

Visa, Mastercard and PayPalhad started refusing to allow donations to WikiLeaks, andAmazonousted WikiLeaks from its servers.

Thursday's raid was part of a police probe into Anonymous that is carried out together with law enforcement agencies in Europe and the U.S.

Meanwhile, acompany asked by Visa to investigate WikiLeaks' finances found no proof the group's fundraising arm is breaking the law in its home base of Iceland, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.

But Visa Europe Ltd. said Wednesday it would continue blocking donations to the secret-spilling site until it completes its own investigation. Company spokeswoman Amanda Kamin couldn't say when Visa's inquiry, now into its eighth week, would be finished.