Thieves target UK supercomputer

DURHAM, England -- Thieves broke into one of the top IT departments in the UK and stole computers and software police fear have been sold abroad.

It is the latest break-in a series of robberies from universities raising concern that British research institutes were being targeted.

Police said they feared that the information in the computers was being sold abroad.

Detective Inspector Andy Reddick told the UK's Press Association news agency: "A number of similar thefts from universities around the country have taken place and it is believed the information stolen has subsequently gone abroad.

"At this stage we cannot rule out a connection."

Two thieves caused an estimated £1 million worth of damage to one of the country's most power computers at Durham University in north England late Saturday.

Four powerful Sun Microsystem units, each weighing 20lbs, were dropped by the burglars when they were disturbed by security guards as they tried to make off with the memory units from a massive science laboratory computer.

But they managed to take four others.

The cost of the stolen units and the damage caused to a newly installed state-of-the-art supercomputer, which stores research data in its huge memory, was estimated at more than £1 million.

Reddick said one suspect was black and the other Arab-looking and both spoke in broken English with foreign accents. Both men were said to be in their mid to late 20s.