Movie leaker accused of costing Hollywood millions arrested in UK

British authorities have arrested a 26-year-old man accused of leaking major Hollywood movies onto the Internet, potentially costing movie studios millions of dollars.

The Thursday arrest is a victory for the film industry, which has long struggled to combat the seemingly endless stream of pirated movies that make their way to the Web.

{mosads}Among the movies the unnamed suspect was accused of leaking was “The Expendables 3,” the 2014 installment of the popular action series starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Jet Li. The film ended up pulling in more than $206 million worldwide.

“It is important to protect the rights of creatives around the world from theft,” Stallone said in a statement announcing the arrest on Friday.

The arrest was the product a joint investigation between police in London, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Motion Picture Association of America. In a statement, DHS officials said the man’s home in Halifax was searched, and officials seized several computers and mobile devices.

The investigation stems from a probe launched by DHS special agents in Los Angeles last summer; the agents were tracing a tip about possible movie piracy.

“[This] action should serve as a warning to online pirates,” City of London Detective Inspector Mick Dodge said in a statement. “The U.K. is not a safe haven for criminals seeking to attack international businesses from our shores.”