Man accused of creating cyberattack in Phoenix area arrested

PHOENIX (AP) -- A man accused of creating a cyberattack that nearly crashed 911 systems in the Phoenix area has been arrested.

Maricopa County Sheriff's officials say 18-year-old Meetkumar Hiteshbhai Desai has been booked into jail on suspicion of three counts of computer tampering.

It was unclear Thursday if Desai has an attorney yet.

Several Phoenix-area agencies including Surprise police, Peoria police and the sheriff's office received a flood of hang-up 911 calls late Tuesday night.

Desai told authorities the calls were an accident and it was a prank gone awry.

Sheriff's officials say an online account posted a link that, when clicked on, caused the devices to call 911 over and over and not allow the user to hang up.