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Suspect in 2020 High-profile Twitter Hack Arrested in Spain 


FILE - A Twitter app icon is pictured on a mobile phone.
FILE - A Twitter app icon is pictured on a mobile phone.

A person allegedly involved in a high-profile Twitter hack in July 2020 has been arrested.

The U.S. Justice Department said British citizen Joseph O’Connor, 22, was arrested Wednesday in Spain. He faces conspiracy and computer intrusion charges.

O’Connor allegedly participated in the hijacking of more than 130 verified accounts, including those of SpaceX's Elon Musk, former U.S. President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden, to ask for Bitcoin.

Twitter’s immediate response was to prevent many verified accounts from tweeting for several hours.

O’Connor also is suspected of taking control of TikTok and Snapchat accounts and of cyberstalking.

As part of the same investigation, the DOJ last year charged Graham Ivan Clark of Florida, then 17, who was said to be the mastermind of the Twitter attack. He pleaded guilty to fraud charges and was sentenced in March to three years in prison.

Two others, Florida resident Nima Fazeli and a Briton, Mason Sheppard, also have been charged in the case, MSN reported.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

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