A British teenager accused of cyber-attacks linked to hacking groups Anonymous and LulzSec has been sent to jail after breaching his bail conditions.
Ryan Cleary, 19, has been remanded in custody at Chelmsford prison after he used the internet to contact Hector Xavier Monsegur, the hacker known as "Sabu" who the FBI used as a secret informant for months last year.
The solicitor for Cleary on Monday said that the Essex teenager was rearrested on 5 March, a day before the FBI revealed it had tracked communication between Monsegur and other alleged members of LulzSec.
Cleary is alleged to have contacted Monsegur a handful of times over the Christmas period, according to his solicitor, Karen Todner, a partner at the law firm Kaim Todner.
He was banned from using the internet after being charged in June 2011 with offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and Criminal Law Act 1977.
Cleary will be held at Chelmsford prison until 11 May, when he will appear at a plea and case management hearing at Southwark crown court along with others suspected of having links to the hacking groups.
An appeal to overturn the custody was rejected by a judge at Southwark crown court last month, according to Cleary's solicitor. "We appreciate now that at the time [of the communication] 'Sabu' was working for the FBI," said Todner.