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21 Nov, 2015 19:55

Hacktivists claim ISIS planning attacks in Paris, US, other worldwide locations for this Sunday

Hacktivists claim ISIS planning attacks in Paris, US, other worldwide locations for this Sunday

Hacktivists associated with the Anonymous collective claim they have uncovered Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) plans for Sunday attacks in Paris, as well as the US, Italy, Indonesia, and Lebanon.

A report was published online on Saturday confirming that Anonymous has allegedly identified three “at risk” events in Paris, including a demonstration by Collectif du droit des femmes, a women’s rights group; concerts by Cigales Electroniques with Vocodecks and RE-Play & Rawtor; and an event called Concrete Invites Drumcode featuring Adam Beyer, Alan Fitzpatrick, and Joel Mull.

The online document said the women’s rights rally had been canceled as demonstrations are now banned in Paris, and that the event at the Concrete nightclub had been “probably canceled.”

READ MORE: Turkey arrests suspected ISIS 'scout' involved in Paris attacks

The report also mentioned “unconfirmed” threats at the WWE Survivor Series event in Atlanta; Feast of Christ the King celebrations in Rome and worldwide; an event in Indonesia called Al-Jihad: One Day One Juz; a concert by Five Finger Death Punch in Milan; and University Pastoral Day at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon.

The hacktivists said the information was received from “several pro-Daesh [IS] accounts,” and that the attacks were all meant to take place November 22.

“This is a warning to anyone going to any of the events listed below or going to any event with a lot of people, church services included – but the risk of any churches outside Paris/France being targeted is low,” the collective wrote in the report.

They said they shared information on the attacks with “official authorities” days ago but decided to take matters into their own hands after governments failed to act on the information.

“All proof was submitted to official authorities all around the globe days ago. They have it and it is their responsibility to do something with it. But because they have not done anything with it yet and it’s almost the 22nd, we have taken matters into our hands...” the report states.

Those responsible for the report told the International Business Times that they had passed proof of the possible attacks to the MI5 intelligence agency in the UK, the CIA and the FBI in the US, and the Australian government. However, they said they had no intention of releasing the proof publicly.

Meanwhile, the Anonymous Twitter account @YourAnonNews later tweeted that the group did not “spread any rumors” about possible ISIS attacks.

Because Anonymous has no leadership, no action can be attributed to the collective as a whole. The group is instead a loosely associated international network of hackers and activists. 

FBI officials told ABC affiliate WSB that it was taking the Atlanta threat “seriously.”

The director of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, Jim Butterworth, also told the station that his agency “is working closely with the FBI, the Georgia information sharing and analysis center and others in evaluating the threat on a Sunday WWE event in Atlanta reported by the group Anonymous.”

Anonymous declared “total war” on IS following the deadly attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead and 352 injured earlier this month. It vowed to “launch the biggest operation ever” and “hunt down” every supporter of IS online.

The group has released a guide for those looking to take part in the operation, which has already identified tens of thousands of Twitter accounts believed to be associated with the militant group. It has also managed to knock some suspected websites offline.

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