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A 16 year old on the Wirral
has been as part of a joint investigation with the FBI
ON Friday, 26 June 2015, a 16 year old,
living, in Bidston, on the Wirral, UK, was arrested, at 7am, by detectives from
'Titan', as part of a joint investigation with the FBI.
Titan officers, supported by colleagues from Merseyside Police's Wirral
Division, executed a warrant under Section 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence
Act and carried out a comprehensive search of the property. A number of
computers and mobile phones were seized and will be thoroughly examined as part
of the joint investigation.
The 16 year old was arrested on suspicion of several offences which officers in
Titan and the FBI believe have been committed using Skype, Twitter, MSN
Messenger and email. These are said to inclide bomb hoaxes and threats made
against schools, media companies, airports and airlines in the United States of
America.
According to the Police:- "As a result of information shared with Titan by
the FBI following a series of incidents in the United States, between 4
September 2014 and 10 April 2015, a large number of bomb hoax communications
were sent by an unknown person to schools and universities in Michigan, as well
as airlines and airports in the US. The threats were largely made on Twitter and
during a period in January several flights had to be grounded and 2 others
escorted by military jets due to threats made on social media. As well as the
bomb hoax allegations, the 16 year old will also be spoken to about a series of
‘swatting' offences committed by an unknown person against Police Departments
and airports in the United States between 29 October 2014 and 26 March 2015."
'Swatting' is a term used to
describe malicious phone calls or other communications to law enforcement
agencies in the US whereby the offender provides false information about a
fictitious threat or incident at a specific location. The common aim is to
provoke an armed tactical response from the Police, who often deploy a SWAT team
or equivalent to the scene when in fact they are not needed.
Head of Operations at Titan, Detective Superintendent Jason Hudson said:-
"This investigation is a prime example of how specialist Police Units here in
the UK can work side by side with law enforcement agencies in other countries,
such as the US, to tackle a new breed of criminality that is not restricted by
any kind of borders. We have acted on intelligence provided by the FBI in
relation to their investigations into a large number of threats committed in the
US and developed that information to the point where today's arrest has been
proportionate and necessary. We are still in the early stages of this
investigation and there is still much work to be done. There is a young man who
needs to be interviewed by my specialist officers who will be mindful of his age
but also the seriousness of the allegations. We have also recovered some
computer equipment and mobile phones which we will analyse for evidential
purposes and our findings will of course be shared with our partners in the FBI.
Their investigation identified some extremely serious threats to institutions
and companies which had major implications for these organisations, the
individuals who work for them and the wider public. We are committed to working
with the FBI and other agencies throughout the world to pool our resources and
share the information we have in order to tackle the wealth of cybercrime that
is now posing such a risk to the public who we have a duty to protect. Cyber
crime can be committed by anyone, anywhere in the world but each offence has a
victim and there are serious repercussions for anyone caught being involved in
these types of offences. They are not a harmless prank and people need to
realise that their behaviour online does not exist in a bubble and has an effect
and consequences in the real world. As Titan and other cyber crime units in the
UK continue to build our capability, technology and skills to tackle this new
threat, we need people and businesses to better protect themselves from online
crime by understanding the risks, implementing strong security measures so that
they can enjoy the opportunities the Internet now provides us all but without
making themselves vulnerable to cyber criminals."
Following the arrest, specialist Titan detectives, from the North West Regional
Cybercrime Unit (RCCU) interviewed him about the alleged offences.
Detectives from Titan later in the day
confirmed that the 16 year old had then been bailed, pending further enquiries
having been questioned.
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City buoyant as Three Queens
success is official
THE Three Cunard Queens event has been
officially certified as one of Merseyside's most successful free events, with
people travelling from across the world to see it.
An independent report has revealed that 1.2
million people gathered along the Liverpool, Wirral and Sefton waterfronts,
bringing in £32.9 million to the regional economy. The report captured visitors coming to the
City from Saturday, 23 May 2015, until Tuesday, 26 May 2015, as part of the
Three Queens spectacular. This included the arrival of Queen
Mary 2, Queen
Victoria and Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth who met for the 1st time on the Mersey and the
Amazing Graces projections which illuminated Liverpool's waterfront in
unforgettable style.
The research, commissioned by Liverpool City
Council and carried out by North West Research, is based on interviews with
hundreds of people and found that...
The economic impact on each areas was:-
► Liverpool £29.1m and Wirral and Sefton £3.8m.
► On average, each visitor spent £27.
► 48% of visitors were from outside Merseyside.
► 6% of visitors came from oversees including
locations such as North America, New Zealand and Ireland.
► The most popular visitors were day trippers at 58%.
► 38% all visitors stayed over for at least 1 night;
the average length of stay was 3.4 nights.
The spending analysis found that on
average:-
► Day trippers spent £34.27 per person.
► Staying visitors from the North West spent £138.07
per person.
► Staying visitors from the rest of the UK spent
£359.09 per person.
► Staying overseas visitors spent £427.66 per person.
► 64% of those interviewed audience were made up of 45
to 65 year olds.
► Couples were the most popular type of 'groups'
in attendance at 43%.
► The majority of people purposely visited Liverpool
for the Three Queens event.
► A huge 94% of people would recommend the event and
88% would return to Liverpool again.
When asked for satisfaction rates on elements of the event including transport,
facilities, value for money etc the ratings tended to be 'very good'
or 'good'. Signposting scored highly, along with the suitability
of the event and the publiCity and promotion
When asked to make a comment about the event, feedback included:-
► "Amazing is the only way I can describe it,
just breath taking. It's something I will always remember."
► "Everything wonderful, the
friendly atmosphere is only to be expected in Liverpool."
► "Just like the giants, Liverpool know how to
hold an event like this. The atmosphere was so friendly and crowds kept in
order."
► "Put on a great show. Evening was good. 10/10
Liverpool."
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, said:- "Anyone who was lucky enough to
experience any of the Three Queens event knew that it was a special moment not
only in this City's history, but in Merseyside's history. The build-up to the
event was unprecedented and there was a real sense across the region that we
were about to be part of something truly unforgettable. From the moment the
Amazing Graces projections kicked things off on the Saturday night, we knew it
was going to be a huge success as from that point word spread the crowds kept
growing over the next few days. To have more than one million people come to
Merseyside for this event is incredibly rewarding, and the economic boost is one
of the biggest the area has received as a result of a free cultural event.
Hotels were sold out, restaurants began to run out of food and the retail areas
experienced a real boost to sales. But it's not just the economic benefits; the
arrival of those majestic liners making history on the Mersey was an image
projected across the globe. The spotlight was on Liverpool and we rose to the
occasion and shone. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the huge team
involved in making it such a huge success; partners across the region from the
transport networks and the Police right through to sponsors and of course Cunard
themselves, who all worked tirelessly to make this the history making event it
has turned out to be."
Anna Rees, North West Research Manager, Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise
Partnership (LEP), said:- "The results of the economic impact report show
how the Three Queens event made a significant positive contribution to the local
visitor economy, with spend coming into the area from across the UK and
overseas. Positive results also came from the visitor satisfaction questions,
with almost all respondents likely to return to Liverpool in the future. Events
like the Three Queens play an important contribution to the rising total
economic impact of the wider Liverpool City Region Visitor Economy."
The Three Queens event formed part of One Magnificent City; a 7 week programme
of events celebrating Liverpool's internationally renowned maritime history and
transatlantic links.
For more information visit:-
OneMagnificentCity.Co.UK. |
