MADRID -- Spanish police on Saturday announced the arrest of five hackers accused of attacking government websites in the United States, Asia and Latin America.

The hackers, who include two 16-year-olds who hacked into 21,000 Internet pages over a two-year period, were arrested across the country, a statement said.

Although the group had never met, they organized and coordinated their attacks over the Internet, working in particular with hackers in Latin America, the police statement added.

The arrests follow a probe launched after the website of the left-wing alliance Izquierda Unida (United Left) was hacked and caricatures of politicians inserted, days ahead of the March 9 Spanish elections.