Dutch Hacker Arrested

Dutch police arrested a hacker known as “OnTheFly,” a 20-year-old man who said he wrote a computer virus that backed up e-mail systems worldwide by purporting to offer a photograph of tennis star Anna Kournikova. Authorities charged him with damaging private property and computer programs and turned him over to his parents, saying the offense didn’t warrant holding him. A prosecutor will decide whether to seek a jail sentence or a fine. The man’s name was withheld under Dutch privacy regulations. In a letter posted on the Internet on Tuesday admitting responsibility, the computer buff said he copied “the worm” from a program he found on the Web. Police said he decided to turn himself in after realizing how much havoc he had created.