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Singaporean Charged for Online Bomb Hoax
A Singapore court charged a man for posting a bomb hoax online while illegally tapping into a wireless Internet network.
(Singapore) A Singapore court charged a man for posting a bomb hoax online while illegally tapping into a wireless Internet network. Lin Zhenghuang, 21, was charged Thursday with posting a July 2005 message on a popular technology Web site, saying there was a bomb at a local bus depot, according to charge sheets obtained Friday from the subordinate courts.
Lin's alleged post, which was made just after the London subway and bus bombings earlier that month, had so alarmed other users on the site that they contacted the police, The Straits Times newspaper reported.
The court granted Lin a week's adjournment to mourn a relative's death, the report said, adding Lin said he intended to plead guilty to the charges.
Lin, whom authorities say used the online moniker "krisurf," faces up to seven years imprisonment and fines of up to $32,500 for sending a false message about a bomb.
Lin also faces 60 charges of tapping illegally into nine unsecured wireless Internet networks between July 2005 and February 2006, the court documents showed. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail and a fine of up to $6,500.
Lin is the second person to be prosecuted in the city-state for illegal wireless Internet access under the Computer Misuse Act. A Singaporean teenager was charged in November 2005.