Frenchman arrested for Obama hacking

A FRENCH web hacker is facing up to two years in prison for breaking into US president Barack Obama's account on Twitter.

The 25-year-old man from the Auvergne was arrested on Tuesday and released on police bail later that evening. He will appear in court in Clermont-Ferrand on June 24.

French cyber police were alerted to the crime by the FBI last July. The two forces had worked jointly on tracking the man down for several months.

According to police, the hacker - known by the alias Hacker Croll - was not trying to make any money from his online break-ins but was just curious about what he might be able to find.

He took screengrabs of various confidential sections of his targets' accounts and posted them on a blog for hackers as proof of his work.

Other celebrities targeted by the hack reportedly include US singer Britney Spears.