Anonymous members aren’t going down without a fight. Five suspected members of the hacktivist group were arrested in London yesterday (and released on bail this morning) and still they fight on: The group announced that the arrests in the UK are a “declaration of war” and advised authorities to consider themselves warned. They labeled the arrests as “exactly like arresting somebody for attending a peaceful demonstration in their hometown.”
The statement may apply to the US government soon as well, as yesterday the FBI issued 40 search warrants nationwide concerning the Internet activity of alleged WikiLeaks supporters. The group claims it does not consider DDoS attacks crimes, and therefore any arrests stemming from these actions are unjustified.
US investigations began recently, and authorities have been rapidly pursuing the case in attempts to find and charge those responsible. Twitter was a crucial tool for Anonymous members to communicate and coordinate various attacks on sites like PayPal, Mastercard, and Visa, and the site was subpoenaed to release user information – which easily could have led to these numerous search warrants. Those found guilty face up to 10 years in prison and will be fined for damages.
Anonymous recently announced it will wage war against the Tunisian and Egyptian governments in response to political protests that have led to restricted or completely blocked Internet access. Security firm Sophos reported earlier this week it believed the group’s Operation Tunisia was responsible for attacked government websites in the country, as members were spotted on a forum coordinating the DDoS assault.
