Four people bailed after arrests over cyber attacks on M&S, Harrods and Co-op

Four young people who were arrested for their suspected involvement in the damaging cyber attacks against Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods, have been bailed.

The arrests on 10 July included a 17-year-old British man from the West Midlands, a 19-year-old Latvian man from the West Midlands, a 19-year-old British man from London, and a 20-year-old British woman from Staffordshire.

A spokesperson for the National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Wednesday: "All four individuals have been bailed pending further inquiries."

They were all arrested from their home address on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, offences linked to the Computer Misuse Act, and participating in the activities of an organised crime group, according to the NCA.

The police also seized electronic devices from the properties.

It comes after investigations by NCA into attacks against the three retailers, where hackers sought ransom payments after breaking into their IT systems.

M&S was the first of the retailers to be targeted by the hackers, with the retailer shutting a raft of systems down in response on Easter Sunday.

The company said the cyber attack has cost the firm around £300 million after it shut down its website for six weeks.

Meanwhile, Co-op saw payments disrupted and shelves become bare from May because of the fallout of its cyber attack.

Hackers also stole Co-op members’ personal data, such as names and contact details.

Harrods restricted internet access across its websites in May following attempts to gain unauthorised access to its systems.