Hacker group Anonymous recently declared war on ISIS following the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night. Since the weekend, the group claims they have taken down over 5,500 ISIS-affiliated terrorist accounts on Twitter.^[1]

In a video posted on YouTube, an Anonymous representative can be seen wearing a distinctive Guy Fawkes Mask. The group said it would use its knowledge to “unite humanity” and cautioned the terrorists to “expect us.” The official statement reads:

“That’s why Anonymous activists from all over the world will hunt you down. Yes, you, the vermin who kill innocent victims, we will hunt you down like we did to those who carried out the attacks on Charlie Hebdo.^[2]

“So get ready for a massive reaction from Anonymous. Know that we will find you and we will never let up.”^[2]

“We are going to launch the biggest ever operation against you — expect very many cyber-attacks.”^[2]

“War is declared. Prepare yourselves. Know this, the French people are stronger than you and will come out of this atrocity even stronger.”^[2]

ISIS calls Anonymous “idiots”

These remarks were met with a sneer from ISIS after the terrorist group called Anonymous “idiots.” Less than 24 hours after the statement was made, the Anonymous campaign successfully took down around 5,500 social media accounts related to the terrorist group.^[3]

It’s hard to verify the 5,500 figure. Nevertheless, online lists provided by Breitbart Tech indicate that the number of ISIS accounts suspended is likely in the thousands. According to Anonymous, this is only the beginning. The group vows to cleanse the Internet of all ISIS-related activity.^[1]

This isn’t the first time the hacktivist group has declared war on the Islamic state. Following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January, a sister Belgian group stated it was “declaring war against al Qaeda, the Islamic State and other terrorists.” The group boasted about shutting down a French website crawling with extremists and taking 1,500 ISIS supporters offline on Facebook and Twitter.^[4]

Anonymous first burgeoned in 2003. The group became widely known for unleashing a series of videos condemning various corporations, government bodies and religious organizations. Nevertheless. Anonymous continues to be ridiculed by various social spheres on the Internet. Their symbols have been co-opted by radical progressives, as displayed during the “Million Mask Marches.”^[3]

A considerable blow to terrorist operations

Despite having harsh critics, Anonymous’ latest Op is flourishing. Tens of thousands of Anonymous group websites have contributed to OpParis by weeding out ISIS accounts and alerting Twitter. According to retired Army General, David Petraeus, the work of the Anonymous group could have “considerable value” to counter-terrorism operations.^[3]

“To date, hacktivists claim to have dismantled some 149 Islamic State-linked websites and flagged roughly 101,000 Twitter accounts and 5,900 propaganda videos. At the same time, this casual association of volunteers has morphed into a new sort of organization, postured to combat the Islamic State in both the Twitter “town square” and the bowels of the deep web.”^[3]

An estimated eighty-nine people were murdered after gunmen broke into the Bataclan concert hall and started firing into the crowd. US rock band Eagles of Death Metal had only been playing for about a half an hour before terrorists wreaked havoc on the masses. Among the victims killed was Brit Nick Alexander, who worked with the band’s merchandise team.^[4]

Terrorists intentionally committed the attacks on Friday night in order to wreak the most havoc. They targeted seven locations in Paris, including coffee shops and cafes where people were enjoying a football game between France and Germany.

Anonymous has declared total war on ISIS and invites the rest of the world to support their efforts.

Sources include:

[1] BreitBart.com

[2] FoxNews.com

[3] Anonhq.com

[4] Mirror.co.uk