BANGKOK, Thailand - Authorities have arrested Papas Gagong, a twenty-year-old college student, who they believe started the SARS virus outbreak. "We became suspicious when we learned from WHO that the SARS DNA made frequent use of the sequence 'PAPAGAG'. Our previous experience with Mr. Gagong showed that he used the name 'PapaGag' in Internet chat rooms. Our suspicions were confirmed when we seized his computer," said Major General Pongsaphat Phongcharoen. The computer contained files showing the development phases of the virus. The version that matches the earliest-detected strands of SARS DNA were also present, labeled "Production 1.1".

"This is the first time we've seen someone manufacture and release a biological virus," said WHO representative Gregory Beasley. "It's actually quite a piece of ingenious work. But it's heinous in the extreme to imagine a person releasing something like this."

When confronted, Gagong admitted he had created the virus, but that its release had been accidental. This seems unlikely, however, in light of conversations he had with other hackers. Logs of IRC conversations found on his computer show a pattern of failure in writing computer viruses. "U got nuthn, dewd. Ur code iz lame, n so r u!" said ColdCoder, commenting on a virus template Gagong had created and uploaded. Ominously, another user said simply, "Don't bother with computer viruses, Man. You ain't got it. Do something else."

How his computer model made its way into the flesh-and-blood world is not yet known. The college he attends has a genetics lab and a gene sequencing device, but he did not have access to the equipment. "Besides," said one student, "the sequencer tells you what existing DNA says. It doesn't custom build DNA to your specs." Authorities close to the case have said that Gagong is keeping information to himself, presumably to use in negotiating a plea.
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