Westboro Baptist Church Attacked By Hacking Group Anonymous
The hacking group Anonymous cyber-attacked the Westboro Baptist Church on Saturday after it revealed plans to picket the mourners of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
The reported hacker-activists published online personal information of the some of the church's members when it was revealed that they planned to disrupt memorial services for the children and adults killed on Friday, Dec. 14, in Newtown, Conn. The personal information Anonymous published included phone numbers, email and home addresses.
The Westboro Baptist Church took to Twitter to address the cyber-attack, writing, "I've never heard of Anonymous, but somehow they got our personal info. That is OUR info, not your to give out! God will deliver us."
The group of hackers responded on Twitter by addressing the church and saying, "We are #Anonymous, we are legion, we never forgive, we never forget, next time you'll expect us."
Anonymous also posted a video online denouncing the church group for creating hatred and being a menace to the country.
"We will destroy you," the hacking group said in the video. "We are coming."
The Westboro Baptist Church routinely protests at the funerals of deceased military members and are present whenever a tragedy strikes to picket the events, saying that God is punishing the world for not following the church's beliefs.
This is not the first time Anonymous has dealt with the Westboro Baptist Church. The hacking group told the church in February to "cease and desist" its protests or its website would be brought down.
"The damage incurred will be irreversible, and neither your institution nor your congregation will ever be able to fully recover," Anonymous wrote, as reported by Mashable.
The church's future picketing privileges may cease in the near future from government intervention. Two petitions being reviewed in the White House may stop the church from protesting by classifying its members as a hate group.
