Noted Anonymous Fameball Barrett Brown Arrested, Charges Pending

He doesn’t appear to be in Fed custody for the moment, but this mugshot via Dallas County records confirms that Barrett Brown, better known as @BarrettBrownLOL on Twitter, is at the very least sitting in county jail awaiting possible charges on Thursday.

For those that may not be familiar with Brown, he came to some notoriety last year for allegedly mounting an operation against the Zeta drug cartel in Mexico after they had kidnapped a member of Anonymous. Brown claimed to hold the names of 75 Zeta collaborators, which he threatened to release to the press unless the Anon member was set free. Evidently, Anon and the cartel then declared a truce.

Brown has often denied acting as a spokesperson for Anonymous in any officially capacity, as the amorphous group has no such official structure. Nonetheless, his knowledge of many of the group’s activities has often left many with such an impression.

Several individuals were taking part in a video chat today when police raided Brown’s Dallas home. A Tinychat recording shows Brown’s girlfriend reacting to the raid as police officers shout in the background:

Another person in the chat has since posted his own recollection of the event, and notably says that it couldn’t have been a prank. However, other people to comment on his arrest are nonplussed, claiming that he’s already working with the FBI.

This is not the first time that Barrett Brown’s home has been raided. Six months ago the FBI came knocking on Brown’s door and confiscated his laptop, but no charges were filed against him. That incident followed the arrest of then-LulzSec leader Sabu, or rather Hector Xavier Monsegur, who then turned informant in exchange for leniency, although it’s also been suggested that Sabu was working for the FBI prior to his arrest, which then served as a cover.

According to those who follow Brown, his behavior had become erratic as of late, as evident in the last video he posted to his YouTube account. In the video, posted hours before his arrest, he threatens to stab any FBI agents who came near him or his mother.

According to an individual who claims to have contacted Brown’s mother, he is scheduled for a hearing on Thursday morning. No charges have been posted as of yet.