Israeli nabbed in Pentagon hack

In its second move against computer hacking this week, the Justice Department announced the arrest of a trio of Israeli hackers suspected of breaking into computer networks belonging to U.S. and Israeli governments, as well as those of businesses and educational institutions in the United States and abroad.

In addition, the FBI is also investigating two California teenagers in conjunction with the case.

Israel's National Police arrested Israeli citizen Ehud Tenebaum, identified by police spokeswoman Linda Menuchin as the 18-year-old hacker "Analyzer" who claimed responsibility for February's attack on the Pentagon, as well as numerous other hacks.

Israeli police arrested two teenage accomplices. All three teens are cooperating with investigators and have been put under house arrest, Menuchin said.

In addition to the FBI and the DOJ, NASA, the Air Force Office of Special Investigation, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service participated in the investigation, which led to a formal request to the Israeli government for cooperation in the case. U.S. agents presented evidence to Israeli officials of intrusions into both U.S. and Israeli computer networks.

CNET Radio has more with International Security Association's Dave Kennedy

U.S. attorney general Janet Reno hailed the arrest as a sign of international cooperation and the effectiveness of U.S. law enforcement in battling computer security crime.

"This arrest should send a message to would-be computer hackers all over the world that the United States will treat computer intrusions as serious crimes," she said in a statement. "We will work around the world and in the depths of cyberspace to investigate and prosecute those who attack computer networks."

Pentagon officials described the invasion of their network as the most "intense" to date but noted that classified information was not compromised.

The DOJ announcement comes on the heels of the U.S. government bringing charges against a Massachusetts teenager, who quickly pled guilty to sabotaging telephone systems and airport telecommunications last year.

Reuters contributed to this report.