Schoolboy hacker derails Poland's tram network

Polish police yesterday arrested a 14-year-old schoolboy for endangering public safety when he hacked the Lodz tram system and disrupted traffic.

Using a TV-style remote control he built himself, Adam Dabrowski allegedly changed the points on the city's tram system. This derailed some tram cars, causing them to crash and injure up to 12 passengers.

A police spokesman said Dabrowski had studied the trams and the tracks for a long time and had converted the TV control into a device capable of controlling all the junctions on the line. He had listed in a school exercise book the best junctions to switch trams and what signals to change.

Teachers described Dabrowski as a model pupil and an electronics genius.