Teen Brit Hacker 'Could Face US Extradition'

A British teenager suspected of masterminding global computer hacking group LulzSec from his bedroom could face a fight against extradition to the US.

Ryan Cleary was arrested at his detached family home in Essex as part of a Scotland Yard and FBI probe into the group.

The arrest came a day after the collective claimed to have brought down the US Central Intelligence Agency's website .

The group has also said it was responsible for hacking attempts on the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency, the US Senate and high profile attacks on Sony and Nintendo.

The 19-year-old is being held by police after the dawn swoop on his home - which prompted shock among the university student's neighbours.

Detectives believe Cleary was a "major player" with LulzSec and reportedly kept American authorities closely informed over the "pre-planned intelligence-led operation".

Twitter page @LulzSec denied this, saying: "Ryan Cleary is not part of LulzSec; we house one of our many legitimate chatrooms on his IRC server, but that's it."

But Mark Spragg, an extradition lawyer at London-based firm Keystone Law, said US prosecutors may demand he faces justice across the Atlantic.

"If the charges on which he was arrested would result in a sentence in excess of 12 months, then potentially it would constitute an extradition offence," he said.

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.

James Rounce, a neighbour of Cleary's family bungalow in Wickford, said: "You could tell he was very bright just from the way he spoke and presented himself.

"I knew he was into computers because we would often take in parcels for him and when I asked about them his mother said he was working from home and it was something to do with IT."

According to reports, Cleary's mother Rita said her son "lives his life online".

"I thought he was playing computer games in his room. I can't believe it. He rarely left the house," the Mirror quoted her as saying.

The arrest of a Briton in relation to hacking attempts in the US will prompt comparisons with Gary McKinnon.

McKinnon, 45, who is wanted in the US, faces 60 years behind bars for hacking into Pentagon and Nasa computers while searching for evidence of "little green men".

It comes as an MPs' group calls for British citizens facing extradition to be given greater rights - equal to the protection afforded to Americans under the UK-US treaty.