By REBECCA ANNA STOIL
After an 18-month-long investigation, the Israel Police revealed late Monday night that they had arrested an Israeli Arab teen suspected of participating in what they called "Internet terror" - hacking in to Israeli Web sites and causing millions of shekels worth of damage.
The 17-year-old from the Wadi Ara village of Kafr Kara was arrested Monday afternoon after police searched his house and discovered that the youth's personal computer contained what police termed "implicating information." The youth's mother allegedly tried to hinder police during the search of the family's house, but to no avail.
The suspect, along with Muslim cohorts from countries including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, allegedly wrecked a number of Web sites including those of the Likud Party and Maccabi Tel Aviv, as well as shopping sites and sites used as servers by various other companies.
As yet, it is unclear if government sites were affected.
Police said Tuesday that they believe that other Israeli citizens may also have been involved in the hacker ring.
Last year, pro-Palestinian hackers shut down approximately 700 Israeli Web domains.
A range of different Web sites were targeted, including Web sites of banks, medical centers, car manufacturers and pension funds.
Well-known companies and organizations, including Bank Hapoalim, the Rambam Medical Center, Bank Otsar Ha-Hayal, BMW Israel, Subaru Israel and Citroen Israel, real estate company Tarbut-Hadiur and the Jump fashion Web site all found their Web sites shut down and replaced by the message: "Hacked by Team-Evil Arab hackers u KILL palestin people we KILL Israel servers."
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