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Anonymous vows to avenge Charlie Hebdo massacre by blitzing jihadist sites
Islamic extremists threatened by 72 virgins
Some members of Anonymous have vowed to avenge the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris by taking down jihadist websites.
A video uploaded to the web by the group's Belgian wing also promises to scrub social networks of accounts promoting violent jihad. A statement announcing Op Charlie Hebdo, addressed to “enemies of freedom of expression," has been posted to Pastebin, here. It, in part, reads:
It is our responsibility to react ... Attacking freedom of speech is a direct hit to democracy. Expect a massive reaction from us, because this freedom is what we've been always fighting for.
A Twitter profile seemingly affiliated with the campaign is urging supporters to “find terrorists twitter profiles [and] report them.”
An English translation of the Anons' game plan can be found here. No specific jihadist website has been publicly singled out for attack. The video's description on YouTube says it is a warning to "al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and other terrorists."
Anonymous, as a group, claims to stand for freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas that are anathema to Salafists. On the other hand, jihadi fanatics enjoy freedom of speech on the internet – to spread hate and lure vulnerable people into the ranks of ISIS and the like.
Amid these vague threats against websites and Twitter accounts, innocent blood continues to be shed in France and, we cannot forget, Nigeria. ®