Anonymous hackers flood ISIS Twitter accounts with gay porn after Orlando shooting
Hacktivists hijack pro-ISIS Twitter accounts in retaliation for Orlando massacre
Hackers linked to Anonymous have been hijacking ISIS Twitter accounts and filling them with gay porn in the wake of the Orlando massacre.
US-born Omar Mateen opened fire on partygoers in the Pulse nightclub on Sunday 12 June, an LGBT club in Orlando, Florida. Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53, before police killed him in a shootout.
Mateen called the authorities to pledge his allegiance to terrorist group ISIS during the attack, officials have reported, and warned of "Islamic state vengeance" in posts on Facebook.
The group, in turn, has supported his actions, dubbing him "a soldier of the Caliphate in America" in an official radio broadcast.
In retaliation, hackers have begun taking control on ISIS-affiliated Twitter accounts and using them to broadcast gay porn, as well as gay pride iconography and messages of love and support for the LGBT community.
Several of the accounts are believed to have been hacked by an individual known as WauchulaGhost, who has connections to the hacktivist group Anonymous.
"I did it for the lives lost in Orlando," WauchulaGhost said in an interview with Newsweek, noting that "shit is getting too close to home".
The hacker has allegedly hijacked more than 200 pro-ISIS Twitter accounts, and is aiming to target even more with the help of hackers known as Yeti and Ebony.
"Daesh [ISIS] have been spreading and praising the attack," WauchulaGhost said, "so I thought I would defend those that were lost. The taking of innocent lives will not be tolerated."
However, they were also very clear about the aims and intended target of the campaign. "One thing I do want to say is we aren't using graphic porn and our purpose is not to offend Muslims," WauchulaGhost told Newsweek.
They emphasised that "our actions are directed at Jihadist extremists," and that many of the hackers involved are themselves Muslim. "We respect all religions that do not take innocent lives," they said.
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