Four individuals have been arrested as part of a police investigation into the cyber-attacks that severely disrupted operations at M&S and the Co-op.
According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), a 20-year-old woman was arrested in Staffordshire, while three males aged 17 to 19 were detained in London and the West Midlands. All four were taken into custody on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act, blackmail, money laundering, and involvement in organised crime.
The arrests took place at their homes in the early hours of Thursday, and electronic devices were also seized. Among those arrested is a 19-year-old Latvian man; the other three are British nationals.
Residents in the quiet Staffordshire cul-de-sac where the woman was arrested described a large police presence. Witnesses said dozens of NCA officers, some in balaclavas, arrived in the early morning and broke down the door of a family home before removing a significant number of electronic items.
Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, called the arrests a major development in the case. He said efforts are ongoing, both in the UK and internationally, to identify and prosecute all responsible.
The attacks, which began in mid-April, have caused major disruptions. Some Co-op stores experienced empty shelves for weeks, while M&S anticipates lingering effects through late July, with some systems not expected to be fully restored until October or November. M&S’s chairman told MPs that the incident felt like an attempt to destroy the business. The company estimates a £300 million loss in profits as a result.
Harrods was also targeted, though the impact there was less severe.
M&S was the first to be hit. Hackers stole a large volume of personal data belonging to both customers and employees. They also used ransomware to disable IT networks, demanding a payment to restore access. The BBC reported that the attackers sent an offensive email to the M&S CEO demanding a ransom.
Shortly after, the Co-op became a target. Hackers stole data from millions of customers and staff. Although the Co-op initially downplayed the attack, the BBC obtained evidence from the hackers confirming the breach. The company narrowly avoided a more damaging outcome by disconnecting its IT networks from the internet just in time to stop the ransomware.
Harrods later confirmed it too had been attacked and had also disconnected systems from the internet to block the intrusion.
The arrested individuals include a 17-year-old male from the West Midlands, a 19-year-old man from London, a 19-year-old Latvian from the West Midlands, and a 20-year-old woman from Staffordshire.
The NCA operation was supported by the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit.
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