WATCH: Anonymous hacker group releases video on YouTube vowing to take down jihadist sites to avenge Charlie Hebdo shooting victims.
TORONTO – Hacker group Anonymous has vowed to avenge those killed in the deadly attack on the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo by taking down jihadist websites and social media accounts.
In a video uploaded to the Anonymous Belgique YouTube channel, a figure wearing the group’s signature Guy Fawkes mask condemned the attack that killed 12 people, including eight journalists. The video description addresses the message to “al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and other terrorists.”
“We are fighting in memory of those innocent people who fought for freedom of expression,” said the disguised person in the video.
The group included a link to anonymous information sharing site Pastebin with a list of Twitter accounts it claims are linked to jihadists.
READ MORE: Websites of towns near Paris hacked, replaced with ISIS flag
The group is using the hashtag #OpCharlieHebdo to urge other users to help them take down the accounts by reporting them to Twitter, or participating in a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack – a practice commonly used by the hacker group.
“Anonymous must remind every citizens (sic) that the press’s freedom is a fundement of the democracy. Opinions, speech, newspaper articles without threats nor pressure, all those things are rights you can’t change,” read a statement posted to Pastebin by the group Thursday.
“Expect a massive reaction from us, because this freedom is what we’ve been always fighting for.”
READ MORE: Both ‘Charlie Hebdo’ suspects killed as police storm building
Wednesday’s attack in Paris has not been linked to ISIS – several reports have suggested it’s more likely to be connected to the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
On Friday, Charlie Hebdo suspects Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Said Kouachi, 34, were killed after police stormed the building where they were holed up for more than five hours.
The third suspect Hamyd Mourad, 18, surrendered to police early Thursday.
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