Here's what appears to me to be a better explanation: 
https://rulingclass.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/the-background-dope-on-dhs-recent-seizure-of-domains/#comment-363 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jorge Amodio [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2010 1:16 PM
> To: Milton L Mueller
> Cc: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [NCSG-NCUC-DISCUSS] U.S. Government Seizes BitTorrent
> Search Engine Domain and More
> 
> Something like this happened before and reported by the same people ...
> 
> http://torrentfreak.com/fansubbing-site-fakes-ice-bust-to-protest-media-
> reporting-100719/
> 
> The article specifically said:
> 
> "So we faked that we got taken down to show people that the media
> publishes everything without knowledge and with wrong and assymetric
> information, and if one day they try to catch us, people shouldn't
> believe in what they will say."
> 
> Can't say, but may be they are trying to be more noisy this time ? How
> much can you trust what these guys report ?
> 
> Regards
> Jorge
> 
> 
> On Sun, Nov 28, 2010 at 10:00 AM, Milton L Mueller <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> ICANN has no operational knobs it can tweak at the 2nd+ level. Verisign
> >> does.
> >
> > Precisely. I suspect that claim in the article that ICANN was involved was
> simply false.
> >
> >> I'd really like if some of the numerous reports citing a Court order
> >> provide more information about it or a link, so far I'm still trying
> >> to find a concrete reference or the actual order.
> >
> > But that's the disturbing thing about this case, Jorge. It appears that no
> court order was ever served on toerrent-finder.
> >
> >
> >> Both the .com (supposedly seized) and the .info (still working) are
> >> registered by the same person with address in Egypt.
> >
> > If - as appears to be the case - this action depended on the cooperation of
> the registry, it may be that VeriSign was more "cooperative" than Afilias.
> >