A phone call between the FBI and Scotland Yard has been intercepted by hacking group Anonymous, revealing a conversation about cybercrime.
The call, broadcast on the internet, records UK officers admitting to their US counterparts that they have "cocked things up in the past" and joking about a cybercrime conference in Sheffield.
Anonymous hackers said they hacked into an FBI agent's email account, giving details of when and where the call was to take place.
The email has also been posted online, with Anonymous supporters tweeting links to sites where the call can be listened to and downloaded.
"A conference call is planned for next Tuesday (January 17, 2012) to discuss the on-going investigations related to Anonymous, Lulzsec, Antisec, and other associated splinter groups." the email says.
Anonymous tweeted:
The 17-minute-phone call discusses a young member of another hacking group who was talking to the police in the UK.
The agents also deliberate dates of planned arrests and the evidence they have against various suspected hackers.
Two British men, Ryan Cleary and Jake Davis, who were arrested on charges of carrying out online attacks on behalf of Anonymous and LulzSec last year, were also discussed.
However some of the names of suspected hackers appear to have been bleeped out by Anonymous for legal reasons.
The conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard also reveals the relationship between the two security giants.
Joking about a conference on cyber-crime in Sheffield, an English officer tells the FBI that they had not missed much by not having visited the city, adding it was "not exactly a jewel in England's crown".
After the FBI expresses gratitude to the British officer, he also sheds light on previous mistakes, responding "We're here to help. We've cocked things up in the past, we know that... It's not that much of a hardship."
The FBI has confirmed that the audio footage was obtained illegally and they are hunting those responsible. They also said that despite the phone call being hacked, their computer security has not been compromised.
Scotland Yard said in a statement:
"We are aware of the video which relates to an FBI conference call involving a PCeU [Met Police] representative.
"The matter is being investigated by the FBI.
"At this stage no operational risks to the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] have been identified; however we continue to carry out a full assessment.
"We are not prepared to discuss further."
Anonymous is a loosely-organised group of hackers which has claimed responsibility for attacks against corporate and government websites all over the world.
The group also claimed to have disrupted the websites of Visa and MasterCard in December 2010 when the credit card companies stopped processing donations to WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.