[FOLLOWUP] Seized Indymedia Servers Returned

According to a BBC News report, web servers belonging to alternative news organization Indymedia have been returned after they were seized the other day. Indymedia is reviewing the returned media now to determine what, if anything, has been damaged, and is consulting legal authorities, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, about what next steps it should take.

Initial reports indicated that the FBI was involved in the hardware seizure, but that is now unclear, as the FBI is denying any involvement.

Rackspace, the managed host from where the servers were taken, is under a gag order and cannot discuss details of why the equipment was initially seized. What is known is that they were taken under the auspices of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, an international agreement for prosecuting cross-border crimes such as terrorism, kidnapping and money laundering. Indymedia is under investigation from four countries (the US, UK, Italy and Switzerland), and Italian authorities say they are investigating Indymedia for "supporting terrorism."