Lulzsec announces its retirement as police close in

Hacking crew claims it has come to a planned end, although increasing pressure from law enforcement and other hackers may be responsible

Hacking group Lulzsec has announced that it will disband, claiming that it has come to the end of a planned 50-day operation.

The statement, which the group claims will be its last, was posted to free-to-use public publishing site Pastebin.

Lulzsec has attracted attention by hacking into corporate and government networks and websites since it began operations in May this year. Among its targets have been Sony, software developers Bethesda, the CIA and the UK's Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

In the release, Lulzsec encouraged others to take up its mantle in the name of the 'Antisec' movement. The movement's aim has been to expose the poor security of governments and private organisations.

It said: "…we truly believe in the AntiSec movement. We believe in it so strongly that we brought it back, much to the dismay of those looking for more anarchic lulz".

One of the group's last tweets encourages followers to support hacktivist group Anonymous, from whose ranks Lulzsec are said to have come.

"Finally, we encourage all future #AntiSec enthusiasts to join the AnonOps IRC [link removed] and follow @AnonymousIRC for glory!"

Over the last two weeks, it appeared that a combination of law enforcement and other hackers were getting close to unmasking the identities of the Lulzsec team.

Ryan Clearly of Wickford, Essex was arrested by police last week and charged with hacking the SOCA website, Lulzsec had claimed this as their responsibility.

On 25 June, a hacker who goes by the name 'Jester' revealed the IP addresses which he claimed were used by Lulzsec's website and the physical addresses to which they are registered.

Lulzsec announced its farewell within hours of this post.