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FBI Agent Ray Lauer in Seattle confirmed the arrests but would not comment further because it is an ongoing case being investigated by the Northwest Cyber Crime Task Force, a Seattle-based group of federal, state and local investigators.

Game developer Valve Software said in a statement Thursday that arrests has been made in "several countries," and lauded video game fans for providing thousands of tips that helped lead to the arrests.

The theft of the source code for "Half-Life 2" - a follow-up to the popular shooting game "Half-Life" - sent shock waves through the gaming industry last fall. The stolen code was circulated over the Internet, although security experts said it could not actually be used to play the game.

Valve, based in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, quickly called on gamers to help track down the theft. Many fans had denounced it, fearing it would delay the game's release or make it easier to create ways to cheat.