Hacking group Anonymous has 'declared war on jihadists' in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris.

Authorities targeting extremists may have found an unlikely ally in the group in the battle against terrorism after the activists released a video condemning the gun attack at the satirical magazine which left 12 people dead.

In the clip, which was uploaded to the group's Belgian YouTube account, a figure wearing the group's Guy Fawkes mask and a hood says in French in an electronically-distorted voice: 'We are declaring war against you, the terrorists.' 







Hacker group Anonymous (pictured) has declared war on jihadists after the tragic massacre in Paris this week

Sitting at a desk and reading from a piece of paper, the figure says the group will track down and close all accounts on social networks related to terrorists to avenge those killed.




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The hashtag #OpChalieHebdo - presumably meaning Operation Charlie Hebdo - also appears on screen.

The group also reportedly published a statement on text-sharing website gpo auto farm script pastebin, entitled 'Message to the enemies of freedom of expression'.




The hackers have threatened to target terrorists online after two armed gunmen stormed the Charlie Hebdo offices killing a dozen people (pictured) 







In it they wrote: 'Freedom of expression has suffered inhuman assault ... It is our duty to react ... We wish to express our condolences to the families of the victims of this cowardly and despicable act.'

They added: 'We will fight always and everywhere the enemies of freedom of expression ... Freedom of expression and opinion is a non-negotiable thing. To tackle it is to attack democracy. 

'Expect a massive frontal reaction from us because the struggle for the defense of those freedoms is the foundation of our movement.' 

Anonymous has previously carried out cyber attacks on websites belonging to the Government, as well as those of corporate and religious organisations.

In 2012 Anonymous crippled the Home Office's website by flooding it with huge amounts of internet traffic. 


THE ELUSIVE HACKING GROUP ANONYMOUS 




Hacker group Anonymous has been linked to online attacks around the world

Hacker group Anonymous has been linked to online attacks around the world aimed at punishing governments for policies of which the hackers disapprove.

Members are known as 'Anons' and are distinguished by their Guy Fawkes masks.

The group are seen as anything from digital Robin Hoods to cyber terrorists for their hacking campaigns against government agencies, child pornography sites and the Klu Klux Klan. 

In 2008 the online community staged a series of protests, pranks, and hacks Church of Scientology as part if its 'Project Chanology.'

Later targets of Anonymous 'hacktivism' included government agencies of the US, Israel, Tunisia, Uganda, and others, copyright protection agencies; the Westboro Baptist Church; and corporations such as PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, and Sony. 

In 2013 they declared war on secretive 'chat sites' used by paedophiles to trade images.

Last November they hacked into the Twitter account of the Ku Klux Klan after the white supremacist group distributed flyers threatening 'lethal force'  protesters in Ferguson.

Dozens of people have been arrested for involvement in Anonymous cyberattacks, in countries including the US, UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey. 



 

 


Charlie HebdoAnonymous