‘Love Bug’ Suspect Released

Investigators hunting the author of the “Love Bug” computer virus shifted their sights to a loose-knit band of young Manila students and hackers after a Philippine prosecutor, citing lack of evidence, released a 27-year-old bank employee who was taken into custody Monday. Despite several new leads, the turn of events in a high-profile probe into the virus that hobbled millions of computers worldwide made it clear that investigators still have not reached their goal: determining who is responsible for crafting and spreading what has been described as one of the most potent plagues ever to infect the Internet and a dramatic reminder of fragility in the age of the Web. Using information provided by the FBI, investigators turned their attention to a group of current and former students of a Manila computer college, including the younger brother and sister of the man’s live-in girlfriend. Officials said they believe that key parts of the virus originated from a computer that was connected to the Internet through the phone line in the apartment of the released man.