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A British teenager suspected of being a mastermind behind a notorious international computer hacking group has been arrested in a swoop by the FBI and Scotland Yard.

LulzSec has claimed responsibility for a number of online security breaches at organisations including the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency, the US Senate and the CIA, as well as the games firms Nintendo and Sony.

A 19-year-old man was arrested in a "pre-planned intelligence-led operation" in Wickford, Essex, the Metropolitan Police said.

The teenager is being questioned under the Computer Misuse Act and Fraud Act. He was arrested by officers from the force's e-crime unit.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The arrest follows an investigation into network intrusions and distributed denial of service attacks against a number of international business and intelligence agencies by what is believed to be the same hacking group.

"Searches at a residential address in Wickford, Essex, following the arrest last night have led to the examination of a significant amount of material. These forensic examinations remain ongoing."

The Met and Essex Police are working "in cooperation" with the FBI, the spokesman said.

The teenager remains in custody at a central London police station.

LulzSec is said to have established itself as a formidable splinter group to Anonymous, the hacking group embroiled in the WikiLeaks fallout.

The group was believed to have initially targeted only US broadcasters, including PBS and Fox, and gaming firms.

But the Twitter page LulzSec recently declared its intention to break into Government websites and leak confidential documents.

There were no tweets in reaction to the arrest today.

Soca, the UK national law enforcement unit dubbed the British FBI, was reportedly forced to temporarily take its website offline yesterday after a breach.