TalkTalk hack: 15-year-old Northern Ireland boy released on bail following huge data leak

The 15-year-old boy arrested in Northern Ireland on suspicion of hacking telecoms giant TalkTalk and accessing details of some of its four million customers has been released on bail.

He was detained on Monday (26 October) after officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), working alongside detectives from the Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime Unit (MPCCU), executed a search warrant at an address in County Antrim.

He was arrested on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences and taken into custody at a County Antrim police station. He was bailed on Tuesday morning (27 October) to a date in November while enquiries continue.

The development came after the details of TalkTalk customers were dumped online earlier in October alongside a warning that "jihad is coming". The security breach wiped one tenth of the company's value in trading.

In a statement, TalkTalk said: "We know this has been a worrying time for customers and we are grateful for the swift response and hard work of the police. We will continue to assist with the ongoing investigation. In the meantime, we advise customers to visit talktalk.co.uk/secure for updates and information regarding this incident."