As two of the most notorious hackers of the past year await trial for their 'patriotic' website defacement spree, other members of the hacker underground have threatened action if the pair go down.

Last week vnunet.com was contacted by a hacker known as Splurge, an ex-member of the notorious Sm0ked Crew website defacement group.

He warned that a number of ex-hackers, including himself, would return to their old ways if a pair of defacers known as the Deceptive Duo were sent to prison.

The Duo were arrested by the Feds in May and are still awaiting trial. In the month before they were picked up, they became the bane of federal and military websites, defacing machines in the name of patriotism.

The pair claimed that their "mission" was to reveal potentially dangerous weaknesses in the US infrastructure in the aftermath of 11 September.

The Duo comprised 18 year-old Robert Lyttle, who had previously made headlines as pro-Napster hacker Pimshiz, and an as yet unidentified member of Sm0ked Crew known only as The-Rev.

Splurge announced that he was leaving the hacking scene during an interview with vnunet.com in February, but hinted last week that he may come out of retirement.

"Both [hackers] were very good friends of mine and The-Rev was my partner in Sm0ked Crew. These were good guys attacking the guys who tried to destroy our country," he said.

"If the Government locks them up I hope they realise that some of those guys' friends, including myself, won't stay dormant anymore."