Update: The Messiah Saga
On the one hand this figure of Anonymous seems bent on threatening the government, providing for the first time since the crackdown on ‘communists’ in the 1980s, a true radical force against what it views as injustice and unreasonable control of the polity (the internet of which is an extension).
On the other hand its motives and intentions are unknown. For it may claim to want to do good for the larger public, fighting what it perceives to be a hegemonic force, when in fact it has no such desire to do so. There is simply no way in which any reasonable person can objectively evaluate The Messiah, who claims to be a force for good but could equally be bad.
Anyone who makes a stand must simply be bent by the force of his or her emotions, and any stand made decided on the basis of perception. Most of the time, it will be affected by the opinion one has towards the current government. Some will find what this hactivist has done admirable, others will find it extreme. Whatever the reason, the reason cannot be a good reason, simply because there is not enough information about this person.
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Why wasn't 'Messiah' charged for instigation
One "Messiah", several alleged hackings later, and now 25 other people are in trouble with the law.
Of these 25, who are aged between 17 and 45, five have been charged in court and the rest are assisting the police in investigations.
But why wasn't anyone charged in court as an instigator?
related:
Istana site hacking: Businessman and student questioned
S'pore questions suspects in hacking of PM, president websites
James Raj charged with posting 'Anonymous' symbol on S'pore website
Singapore arrests man, investigates others over hacker attacks
Businessman admits to Istana and PMO website
intrusions
Mr Delson Moo, 42, said he had committed the cyber intrusion in a moment of folly. He said he tried a computer code he got online on his websites, then used it on the PMO site and the Istana site. -- PHOTO: THE FACEBOOK PAGE OF DELSON MOO
The businessman questioned by police over the hacking of the Istana's website last week admitted yesterday that he had committed the cyber intrusion in a moment of folly.
He also admitted that he had earlier intruded into the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) website as well.
"It was purely a stupid mistake," Mr Delson Moo told The Straits Times. "My hand was itchy and... I got myself into trouble"
The Singaporean man accused of hacking into a Singapore government website before he was arrested in Malaysia wants a trial, says his lawyer in court Friday.
This was mentioned in the Singapore High Court on Friday by M. Ravi, counsel for James Raj Ariokasamy, who is accused of attacking a Singaporean government website in October under the pseudonym "The Messiah."
The Straits Times had reported that Ravi had been allowed to have a short meeting with James Raj after permission was granted by Justice Choo Han Teck.
Istana site hacking: Businessman and student questioned
Student Melvin Teo (right) and businessman Delson Moo (left) are not connected to alleged hacker James Raj Arokiasamy. Melvin and Mr Teo were not arrested but continue to assist with investigations into the Istana hacking. Both are believed to be Facebook friends
One is an Institute of Technical Education (ITE) student, while the other is a middle-aged, small business entrepreneur.
Melvin Teo, 17, and Mr Delson Moo, 42, are the duo believed to have been questioned by the police last week over a recent alleged hacking of an Istana webpage, The Straits Times learnt on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the police did not identify them but revealed that two suspects were involved in the Istana cyber intrusion, along with two others who allegedly hacked into the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) website on the same day - last Friday.
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PM Lee: Law will come down hard on hackers
CONDEMNING the recent hacking incidents in Singapore as crimes, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong promised that those found guilty would be dealt with "to the full extent of the law" by the courts.
"We must not condone such malicious and harmful behaviour. It is not a prank when someone hacks websites and intrudes into computer systems. It is, in fact, a criminal act," he said yesterday.
Mr Lee was addressing some 200 people at the opening ceremony of the two-day Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers (Telmin) meeting at the Raffles City Convention Centre.
related: Asean warned, step up cyber defence
Possible identity of James Raj aka the Messiah Hacker?
A reader who is also a hacker going by the name of "l0luzkrips" informed me that in the local hacking community there is a hacker by the "James Love Computers" who teaches others simple hacking methods and has ADHD.
Sounds like the current James Raj being charged as the Messiah? "l0luzkrips" pointed me to this Facebook page can be found here and the owner last post was on 2 Nov before he was arrested 2 days later.
He made several posts about the Sun Ho hack, AMK Town Council hack and
Straits Times hack. This James dude also taught people how to steal data
from Android phones, crack passwords and take over cashier systems.
Unfortunately, his website "jameslovecomputer.wordpress" and "jameslovecomputers.com" have been disabled. Anybody who can confirm if this James Raj is "jameslovecomputer" please PM me. Do you think he is the real Messiah?
So the big mystery that dominated talk in Singapore has been solved. In fact it was solved much earlier, with the arrest of the self styled 'Messiah' in KL on Nov 4th. Even so the Prime Minister, had us believe it was on-going when he addressed the press about the hacking incidents on November 6th
The 'Messiah' has been exposed as a 35 year old Singaporean, James Raj Arokiasamy, and he was duly charged in court on Tuesday: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/james-raj--35--charged-for-hacking-ang-mo-kio-town-council-website-034350228.html
As he claims to suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), he has been remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), to ascertain this and whether it played a part in his 'hacking activities'. It appears that he was actually a fugitive on the run, having absconded from urine reporting and a drug consumption charge. Incidentally he has only been charged with the hacking of the AMK Town Council site for the moment. However it seems certain that additional charges relating to the hacking of City Harvest and Straits Times blog pages, will also likely be preferred at some stage. He's due back in court on November 26th. Thus far it seems likely he'll be charged only with offences under the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act (CMCA) and to answer for the outstanding drug related charges.
If you want to challenge the law enforcement authorities, better be preapred that they will catch you if you are not good enough. This is reality and not some fictitious 'spy' movies you are fed with from Hollywood! In fact, one of their own, Mr Snowden, spilled the beans about 'USA tapping ally's communication system' shows that 'unless nobody did it, otherwise someone will reveal it'
Is he really having some mental health issues? If so, he needs help instead of prosecution. Let's see how things develop in this particular case. It is also interested to note that the 'fearless' lawyer who is defending him has 'mental health issues' too. Some even attribute this lawyer's 'fearlessness' to his 'mental health issues'. So, sometime it takes great 'mental health' to be courageous!? :-)
Are there deeper underlying reasons for this young man to 'hack' into some public websites and make a statement about something? is he just an isolated case or that many folks like him are somehow unhappy about the state of Singapore? What are the angsts? Are they, from a normal person's perspective, really issues that make people go 'mental'? I am not sure. There are obviously issues to be resolved and tackled by the government of the 'bread and butter' kind. Not sure if it is ever the intellectual deficiency kind.
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Not so anonymous
Accused of drug consumption and an offence under the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act
James Raj Arokiasamy, 35, was in no mood to face photographers as he left the Subordinate Courts in a police van yesterday.
The Singaporean was charged with hacking into the Ang Mo Kio Town Council website last month under the moniker of The Messiah and was arrested last week in a Kuala Lumpur condominium
related:
Enter 'The Messiah', claiming he is fine
Alleged 'Messiah' unmasked, his cyber-army in disarray
Singapore arrests man, investigates others over hacker attacks
James Raj charged with posting 'Anonymous' symbol on S'pore website
15 local Guy Fawkes protestors being questioned by police
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S’poreans shocked The Messiah is balding
Singaporeans from all walks of life with varying amounts of follicles, have expressed outrage and sadness after seeing a photo of someone arrested, who is supposedly The Messiah hacker.
This is so as they noticed that The Messiah is balding, which they feel is an affront to their idea of who The Messiah is.
One Singaporean, Yeshu Aini, said: “I always had this impression The Messiah had long, flowy, slightly curly, brunette shoulder-length hair. Blue eyes, olive skin, a bit emaciated and wore a loose robe with a sash.”
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This piece of police work is simply amazing and only deserves to be commended. James Raj was charged in court this morning as The Messiah that hacked into the several high profile sites recently, including those of City Harvest and Sun Ho’s site. Details of the court proceeding are available at the TRE. I just quoted some parts here for your info.
‘Mr Raj is accused of committing the offence in Malaysia from the Dorchester Apartments at Jalan Sri Hartamas in Kuala Lumpur on 28 October 2013 at about 1.35pm. He was tracked down with the help of Malaysian police.
He is said to have accessed the content management system of AMKTC and modified the contents by adding the image of a Guy Fawkes mask to the website (‘AMK Town Council falls victim to ‘The Messiah’‘)
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COURT INSISTED ON SENDING 'THE MESSIAH' TO IMH DESPITE HIM CLAIMING HE IS FINE
James Raj Arokiasamy, who is believed to be ‘The Messiah’ was referred to IMH by the court despite his insistence that he was fine and mentally sound.
He appeared before the court yesterday (12 Nov) and was formally charged with the hacking of the Ang Mo Kio Town Council website on October 28.
During the hearing, the Deputy Public Prosecutor, Tang Shangjun, raised the fact that James suffers from ADHD and borderline personality disorder, is suicidal, depressed and “sees things flashing”.
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Singapore Police Media Release: Police Arrest Hacker and Vandals
Police have arrested a 35-year-old Singaporean man for the recent series of hacking incidents into the websites of the Ang Mo Kio Town Council, the Straits Times Blog, People’s Action Party Community Foundation (PCF) and City Harvest Church co-founder Sun Ho. In a separate operation, five other men have been arrested for vandalising public property. Preliminary investigations indicate that the hacker and vandals do not know each other and their criminal acts were committed in isolation.
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We are Anonymous
– TOC: Right to counsel – lawyer Ravi seeks court’s declaration on constitutional rights
– The Unseen Singapore: PM Lee Milking Political Mileage Out of “The Messiah”
– Senang Diri: Balancing operational security and public expectations
– My Singapore News: Ragtag cyber army behind bars
– Anyhow Hantam: So ‘The Messiah’ wasn’t a Big-Time Hacker
– Singapore Hall of Shame: Possible identity of James Raj aka the Messiah Hacker?
– Lu Keehong Singapore: Enter ‘The Messiah’, claiming he is fine
– New Nation: Real Anonymous embarrassed by S’pore branch’s antics
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