University of Pittsburgh Threats: Scottish Man, Two Hackers Charged - East Idaho News
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University of Pittsburgh Threats: Scottish Man, Two Hackers Charged

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081512 UPITTSBURGHBOMBTHREAT?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1345061078017 Ryan McVay/Thinkstock(PITTSBURGH) — A rash of bomb threats that plagued the University of Pittsburgh this spring have apparently ended in charges leveled against a man in Dublin, Ireland, with connections to a Scottish terrorism group who is accused of waging threats over the Internet at least 50 times.

Two men from Ohio who have claimed membership in the hacking group Anonymous were also charged in connection with the threats for their role in threatening to release personal information from the Pittsburgh college’s computer system.

Adam Stuart Busby, 64, of Scotland, is currently in custody in Ireland on charges stemming from his activities with the Scottish National Liberation Army. Police announced today that Busby was responsible for emailing more than 50 bomb threats to the university, multiple bomb threats to eastern Pennsylvania courthouses, and specific threats of violence to U.S. attorney David Hickton.

The university was evacuated more than 130 times during the spring semester because of the threats.

Today, Hickton announced that federal law enforcement authorities working on the case had begun to suspect Busby’s involvement as early as April, but the investigation took months to bring charges because of international subpoenas to Internet service providers.

A warrant for Busby’s arrest will be lodged with Interpol, Hickton said.

Alexander Waterland, of Loveland, Ohio, and Brett Hudson, of Hillsboro, Ohio, were also charged in indictments released today stemming from emails they sent to the university in May about the bomb threats. The two men, identified as members of the hacking group Anonymous, are charged with targeting the computer the university’s computer system and releasing personal data.

The two men were identified after they sent emails to the university’s administrators promising to end the bomb threats if the university withdrew a monetary reward they had begun offering for information relating to the threats.

Hickton said today that authorities do not know why Busby targeted the University of Pittsburgh, saying that he had no ostensible connection to the school or community.

He was convicted in Dublin in 2010 of sending email threats from a public library to British airline officials at Heathrow claiming bombs were on two flights to New York, according to the Guardian.

Busby has been convicted of previous attacks and hoaxes throughout Great Britain.

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