According to Romanian authorities, investigators have arrested a man they allege is “Guccifer,” the hacker who has spent more than a year bedeviling public figures worldwide.

Agents with Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism busted Marcel Lazar Lehel, 42, during a raid today at his home outside Arad, according to a prosecution statement that accuses Lehel of "repeatedly" accessing "e-mail accounts belonging to public figures in Romania."

Press reports described Lehel, pictured at right in custody, as a former cab driver who was convicted in 2012 of hacking the e-mail accounts of Romanian public figures. He received a three-year suspended sentence for those illegal online incursions.

As TSG reported earlier this month, “Guccifer” hacked the Yahoo e-mail account of George-Cristian Maior, head of the Romanian Intelligence Service. Last year, the hacker broke into the e-mail account of Corina Cretu, a Romanian diplomat, and stole a series of personal correspondence between her and Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State.

After accessing Maior’s account, “Guccifer” sent the intelligence official a taunting note (in Romanian) warning that he would release “all sorts of documents embarrassing about yourself” unless they could agree on a price for his 7Gb archive detailing his online rampage.

In e-mails to TSG last month, “Guccifer” appeared to refer to his contact with Maior, writing, “now i am in a close fight with a secret service chief, i won;t tell you wich cause is outside us.” The hacker added that, “i don t know what near future hold for me so i will schedule a email link for you… with my archive in case i disappear.”

“Guccifer” subsequently provided a reporter with links to a series of Google Drive files containing thousands of stolen documents, photos, and videos. Those records were reviewed for a January 6 TSG story further detailing the hacker’s crime spree. “Guccifer” also provided the Google Drive links to Cryptome, the anti-secrecy web site (which this morning posted those links).

In a December 17 e-mail, Guccifer stated that “the cia is for sure on my tail but you know they have all the time in the world.” He also claimed to have been arrested in Paris in 2009 “for some cyber issues,” but noted, “btw i am not french i just speak a half of dozen languages.”

Asked whether he thought law enforcement was closing in, Guccifer replied, “NO I am not concerned, i think i switch the proxies go to play some backgammon on yahooo watch tv, play with my family and my daughter.”

In another e-mail, he wrote of future plans, including the procurement of new hardware:

“if i can make my self up*

and buy a new powerful computer the old one is lost*

and trying to put back my family on the line*than

back in bussiness§§§§§§§§§§§!!!!!!!!!!!

HAAAACKKKK!”