New Delhi: The hacker group Anonymous on Tuesday claimed that its hacktivists have taken down over 5,500 Twitter accounts linked to the Islamic State group.
The group made the claim a day after launching its hacking campaign #OpParis in response to the Friday's Paris attacks that claimed 129 lives.
“We report that more than 5500 Twitter account of #ISIS are now #down! #OpParis #Anonymous #ExpectUs,” said a tweet on Tuesday by a Twitter handle @opparisofficial, which is believed to be official Twitter account of the group.
It was not yet known how the hackers disabled the accounts or what techniques they used. But the group said it has posted the accounts to an online forum labeling them as #daeshbags, a reference to Daesh, an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.
Anonymous had declared a campaign against the Islamic State group a long time ago but stepped up its effort following the attacks on the French capital last week.
In a video posted online on Monday, a representative of Anonymous wearing a Guy Fawkes mask said the Islamic State militants who claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks were “vermin” and the group would hunt them down.
“We are going to launch the biggest operation ever against you. Expect many cyberattacks. War has been declared. Get ready,” the man said in the video.
“We don't forgive and we don't forget,” it added.
Speaking in French, the man said, “These attacks cannot remain unpunished.”
ISIS has warned its followers to be aware of the hackers' attacks and posted a message on Telegram Messenger of possible attacks.
“The #Anonymous hackers threatened... that they will carry out a major hack operation on the Islamic state (idiots),” the message said.
Anonymous is an international network of activist computer hackers which has claimed responsibility for many cyberattacks.
