Anonymous, that loosely associated international network of activists and hacktivist that emerged on the scene in 2003, has a hot tip for “Paris and the world.”
The group claims to have unearthed information about Islamic State attacks on the City of Lights, as well as venues in the U.S., Indonesia, Italy, and Lebanon, all planned to take place tomorrow.
According to the International Business Times, a group within Anonymous known as OpParisIntel released a statement on Pastebin that reads in part:
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
We have seen and received threats from several (pro-)Daesh accounts, but not just regular threats. These threats were all focussed on 1 date: the 22nd of November. Our intel team started gathering Intel after having verified the threats and has narrowed all it’s findings down to this pastebin.
The document identifies specific events that Anonymous claims it has confirmed are at risk. These include:
- Cigales Electroniques with Vocodecks, RE-Play & Rawtor at Le Bizen (Paris)
- Concrete Invites Drumcode: Adam Beyer, Alan Fitzpatrick, Joel Mull at Concrete (Paris)
- Demonstration by Collectif du Droit des Femmes (Paris)
- Feast of Christ the King celebrations (Rome/Worldwide)
- Al-Jihad, One Day One Juz (Indonesia)
- Five Finger Death Punch (Milan)
- University Pastoral Day (Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon)
- A World Wrestling Event Survivor Series showing at the Philips Arena (Atlanta)
According to IBT’s David Gilbert, Anonymous has stated that its “goal is to make sure the whole world, or at least the people going to these events, know that there have been threats and that there is possibility of an attack to happen. Another goal is to make sure Daesh knows that the world knows and cancels the attacks, which will disorientate them for a while.”
Indeed one of the above-named events — the demonstration by Collectif du Droit des Femmes, a women’s rights group — has already been canceled, and a second, Concrete Invites Drumcode, is likely canceled.
Anonymous goes on to acknowledge:
We only appeared now because our goal was to remain undercover and report everything to the right authorities and let them take all the action. But when authorities do not take action, Anonymous does. This part of the op started last Monday and has [been] and will be active 24 hours a day as long as the op is going on.
