Anonymous ‘Hacktivists’ Strike At ISIS, Dozens Of Militant Recruiting Sites Knocked Offline
The online “hacktivist” group Anonymous claims to have hit ISIS, the brutal terrorist group known for its gory, horrific propaganda videos, where it hurts the most — in its recruiting campaign. On Friday, Anonymous said that it had attacked and disabled dozens of social media accounts used by ISIS recruiters to bring in new members.
Also on Friday, a new ISIS video emerged — one that the brutal terrorists never wanted the world to see. While ISIS videos are known for their slick production values and editing, portraying the terrorists as brutal and unstoppable fighters who deal with their enemies in the most remorselessly sadistic fashion possible, the video that appeared on the site Live Leak shows a different side of ISIS.
Viewable at this link, the unauthorized compilation shows ISIS fighters as a gang that couldn’t shoot straight — incompetent fighters unable even to operate their most simple weapons.
“Without the assistance of their high-tech video editing software, it looks like the raw versions of their terroristic ‘accomplishments’ aren’t quite so impressive,” wrote Live Leak on its blog.
Praise?God, these #ISIS sites are down (pic) #OpISIS #OpIceISIS #OpAntiISIS #OpCharlieHebdo Tick.. Tock..Tick..Tock.. pic.twitter.com/hqSQxFmiS4
— ??????… (@OpAntiISIS) February 7, 2015
Anonymous also released a statement Friday describing its own members as “hackers, crackers, Hacktivist, phishers, agents, spies, or just the guy next door… students, administrators, workers, clerks, unemployed, rich, poor.”
Do not kill in God’s name. #OpISIS #Anonymous pic.twitter.com/lMcb1a6meO — Anonymous (@FamiliAnonymous) February 6, 2015
Anonymous in its own statement issued a warning to ISIS, which is known to use the internet and social media to attract followers from Europe, the United States, Great Britain, and other countries around the world.
“We will hunt you, take down your sites, accounts, emails, and expose you. From now on, no safe place for you online. You will be treated like a virus, and we are the cure. We own the internet. We are Anonymous; we are Legion; we do not forgive, we do not forget. Expect us.”
Anonymous then said it made good on its pledge, staging disabling cyber attacks against numerous Twitter and Facebook accounts that it said were used by ISIS for recruiting purposes. Under the Twitter hashtag #OpISIS, Anonymous then released a list of what it said were ISIS sites crippled by the cyber attack.
#OpISIS LIST OF ACCOUNTS FROM IS RECRUITERS http://t.co/oS8jhmxFza And D0X and FB Acc http://t.co/ptJb46bWXF @DigitaShadow @GhostSecurity_ — † ???? † (@TehR34X) February 7, 2015
The attack on ISIS recruiting by the Anonymous hackers comes just days after Jordan stepped up its aerial attacks on ISIS positions in Syria, as retaliation for the brutal murder of a Jordanian pilot captured by the militants.
ISIS released a video last week showing the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, burned to death while imprisoned in a cage.
According to the Counter Current News site, which initially reported on the Anonymous cyber attacks, the hacks “destroyed months of recruiting work for the terrorist network known as ISIS.”
