Jury says UK teens were part of the hacking group behind a ‘Grand Theft Auto’ blackmail bid

LONDON (AP) — A British jury ruled Wednesday that two teenagers were part of a hacking and blackmail campaign against technology companies including the maker of the “Grand Theft Auto” game series. Jurors at Southwark Crown Court in London said 18-year-old Arion Kurtaj committed 12 offenses including computer hacking, blackmail and fraud. A 17-year-old defendant who can’t be identified because of his age was convicted of fraud, blackmail and computer hacking. Prosecutors said the defendants were key players in a group known as Lapsus$ that in 2021 and 2022 hacked companies including communications provider BT, cellphone company EE, software company Nvidia and games-maker Rockstar Games. The gang then threatened to release sensitive information unless they were paid millions in ransoms.