Someone claiming to be the hacker collective Anonymous says the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is planning to launch attacks in the U.S., Paris, Indonesia, Italy and Lebanon on Sunday, according to a report.
OpParisIntel, the name of Anonymous’ mission against ISIS, released a statement Saturday saying it had uncovered information regarding new terror plots “on Paris and the world” scheduled for Nov. 22, according to the International Business Times.
{mosads}“All proof was submitted to official authorities all around the globe days ago,” the statement said. “They have it and it is their responsibility to do something with it. But because they have not done anything with it yet and it’s almost the 22nd, we have matters into our own hands.”
“We only take the responsibility of warning civilians (incase the authorities do not act well enough),” the statement added.
But a Twitter account closely associated with Anonymous disavowed connection to the statement.
“We did not spread any rumors about possible future ISIS attacks, and frankly, we do not know where the rumors come from,” the account @YourAnonNews tweeted.
The Saturday statement warned against attending events with large crowds, especially church services, but added that “the risk of any churches outside Paris/France being targeted is low.”
“The goal is to make sure the whole world, or at least the people going to these events, know that there have been threats and that there is possibility of an attack to happen,” the statement said.
It listed several events in Paris that it said “have been confirmed are at risk” and several events around the world that are not yet “100% confirmed,” including a major WWE pro wrestling event in Atlanta, Ga.
WWE and the Philips Arena, the venue of the event, said in a joint statement on Saturday that law enforcement agencies have not been able to substantiate the threat.
“Federal, state and local law enforcement authorities have confirmed there is no specific or credible information involving a threat against tomorrow’s WWE Survivor Series at Philips Arena. However, WWE and Philips Arena have coordinated with the appropriate agencies and law enforcement, and significantly increased security measures to ensure the safety of all those in attendance, which is our highest priority. Doors will open at 6 p.m. to help fans avoid any delays in entering the arena due to the additional precautionary security procedures put in place. Fans are encouraged to take public transportation (MARTA) to the event and are advised that bags will not be permitted in the arena.”
The people behind the statement told IBT that it has sent the information to U.K. intelligence agency MI5, as well as the CIA and the FBI in the U.S., but has refused to release proof of the attacks publicly.
“If we share the proof [publicly], everyone will start calling it fake because screenshots can be edited and accounts can be deleted,” the hacking group said. “We have purposely not shared account links publicly because they would be shut down immediately and then no one would believe the proof.”
Anonymous declared cyber war on ISIS after the group claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Paris last week, killing at least 132 civilians and injuring hundreds.
The collective claimed to have shut down 5,500 ISIS Twitter accounts earlier this week.
-Last updated at 9:42 p.m.