The FBI has arrested 14 people suspected of cyber attacks on the PayPal website, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
The attacks were allegedly staged by hackers as revenge for the company's termination of the WikiLeaks donation account. All the detained belong to the so-called Anonymous group of hackers, the department said.
Earlier reports said that between 14 and 16 members of the Anonymous were arrested on charges of cyber attacks on Master Card and Visa websites.
"The defendants... allegedly conspired with others to intentionally damage protected computers at PayPal from Dec. 6, 2010, to Dec. 10, 2010," the department said.
The suspects were detained in police operations carried out in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio and in Washington DC.
The statement also added that "the charge of intentional damage to a protected computer carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each count of conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine."
Anonymous member hackers dubbed their attacks "Operation Avenge Assange" after Julian Assange, one of the WikiLeaks co-founders.
The whistle-blowing WikiLeaks website provoked U.S. rage by releasing diplomatic documents in late 2010. PayPal terminated WikiLeaks donation account, saying the whistle-blowing website is involved in illegal activities.
