Tokyo police have arrested a 15-year-old high school student on suspicion of launching cyber-attacks against Bandai Channel, a streaming service operated by a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings.

The teenager, from Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture, is accused of using a custom-built software tool to exploit a vulnerability in the company's servers. Authorities believe he improved the software with generative AI before using it to carry out the attacks.

According to police, the incident resulted in more than 46,000 Bandai Channel memberships being canceled without customers' consent, causing significant disruption to the company's operations. The service was forced offline for more than a month while the company addressed the breach and issued refunds to affected users.

The student had previously been arrested in June on suspicion of accessing another person's account during the investigation. Police said the teenager admitted to the allegations and said that he held no grudge against the company.

A major anti-fraud op results in 5,811 arrests

Law enforcement agencies have arrested 5,811 suspects and seized $293 million in illicit assets during Interpol-coordinated Operation First Light 2026, a global anti-fraud initiative spanning 97 countries.

The operation, conducted between January 15 and April 30, targeted social engineering scams, including business email compromise (BEC), romance, investment, impersonation, and sextortion schemes, as well as money laundering networks. Law enforcement officers analyzed 152,808 cases, identified more than 142,000 victims worldwide, blocked 31,014 bank accounts, and identified 15,606 suspects.

In Eswatini, police arrested 82 suspects and dismantled a criminal network involved in illegal online gambling, money laundering, and impersonation scams.

Two suspects were arrested in Thailand linked to a money laundering network that converted proceeds from romance scams into cryptocurrencies using cross-chain token swaps to conceal the movement of funds.

Authorities in Singapore and Oman blocked a $6.6 million transfer connected to a BEC scheme. Also, 22 individuals were deported from Palau for their alleged involvement in operating two interconnected scam centers based in local hotels.

Spanish police arrest a suspected hacktivist linked to the pro-Russian CARR and Z-Pentest groups

Spanish National Police have arrested a man in Palencia on suspicion of supporting the pro-Russian hacktivist groups, known as CyberArmy of Russia Reborn (CARR) and Z-Pentest.

CARR has been linked to cyber-attacks targeting critical infrastructure across the US and Europe, including water, food processing, and energy facilities. In July 2024, US authorities sanctioned two alleged CARR members (a group leader and a key hacker) for their involvement in operations targeting US critical infrastructure.

According to authorities, the suspect provided logistical and operational support to a Ukrainian hacker linked to CARR and helped plan an escape route to Russia via Poland and Belarus.

Authorities allege that the suspect communicated with other members via encrypted messaging platforms and was involved in operations attributed to the pro-Russian hacktivist collective called NoName057(16). Authorities said the group's activities were later promoted online to amplify pro-Russian and anti-Western narratives.

The investigation began in August 2025 after Spanish authorities received intelligence from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In March 2026, police searched the suspect's home in Palencia, seizing computers and cryptocurrency storage devices. Authorities also froze digital wallets allegedly used to receive proceeds from the sale of stolen data.

The suspect remains under investigation and has not been formally charged. Spanish police said he is being investigated for alleged membership in and collaboration with a terrorist organization, glorification of terrorism, and computer-related offenses.

In the meantime, Taiwanese authorities have charged two businessmen who provided LINE messaging accounts to Chinese cyber spies. The accounts were used in a cyber-espionage campaign targeting Taiwan's political and academic sectors.

Vietnam arrests seven suspects behind HiAnime in a major anime piracy crackdown

Vietnamese authorities have arrested and charged seven suspects accused of operating HiAnime, the world's largest anime piracy streaming platform, which was shut down in June 2026.

The suspects face charges of copyright infringement, related rights violations, and money laundering. Prosecutors allege the group operated more than 100 piracy websites, distributing over 26,000 unauthorized anime titles and generating an estimated $12.85 million in advertising revenue between 2020 and April 2026. Four suspects remain in custody, while the other three have been placed under house arrest pending further legal proceedings.

HiAnime was of the most-visited anime streaming sites, offering free access to a vast catalog of English-subbed and dubbed content. Originally launched as Zoro[.]to, the platform rebranded to Aniwatch in 2023 before adopting the HiAnime name in 2024. At its peak, it attracted hundreds of millions of monthly visitors.

Earlier this year, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) announced the shutdown of AnimePlay, another major piracy platform that hosted more than 60 terabytes of anime content and served over five million registered users.

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Belgian police arrest a 19-year-old alleged leader of a major European phishing gang

Belgian federal police have arrested a 19-year-old man from Antwerp on suspicion of leading a large-scale phishing network that targeted victims across Europe.

Authorities allege the suspect was the mastermind behind the operation, which was based in Belgium and the Netherlands. Members of the gang reportedly impersonated bank employees, sending fraudulent emails and making phone calls to trick victims into installing remote access software. This allowed the scammers to take control of victims' computers and access their bank accounts.

Authorities say the scheme defrauded dozens of victims of more than €500,000. The stolen funds were allegedly transferred through money mules and cashers and then laundered using cryptocurrency. Police say the suspect organized both the digital fraud and the money laundering operation. Authorities also allege he traveled to Dubai several times using bank cards stolen from victims to purchase airline tickets.

The suspect was arrested after returning from Dubai at the end of June. Officers detained him at an Airbnb in Antwerp, where he was staying with another individual. Police have not disclosed why the second person was not arrested.