New Islamist hacker collective emerges to protest 'Innocence of Muslims' video

The group, which identifies itself as the Arab Electronic Army, has defaced a variety of mostly Brazilian domain names, including www.handmet-military.net, www.paradaviva.com, www.vibeararuama.com.br, nioaquemaisnoticias.com.br, itamixfm.com.br, clickboahora.com, frizzera.com.br, leapresentes.com.br, mucuriverdade.com.br, and mundiostur.com.br. On www.handmet-military.net, the hackers placed a verse from the Quran and a video titled, “the absolute truth about Muhammad in the Bible with Arabic subtitles.”

The video, which ridicules the Prophet Mohammad, has prompted outbreaks of violence around the world, including the recent attack on the US diplomats in Benghazi, Libya that left four Americans dead. It’s also prompted a series of cyber-attacks from a group calling itself the "Cyber fighters of Izz ad-din Al qassam," which last week threatened take-downs of the public websites of Bank of America, Chase and the New York Stock Exchange as icons of the “America-Zionist Capitalists” responsible for the amateur film. Governments worldwide are meanwhile blocking the video or asking Google to remove it.

The ringleader of the new Arab Electronic Army calls himself Ridouan, and told Alarabiya.net that "the hacking operations are of course a response to the offense against the prophet, peace and blessing be upon him.”

Ridouan, who goes by the hacking handle "RéD-Zàr," said his co-conspirators include a multinational crew, including Abdel Haq from Morocco (pro-psd), Saudi Hacker (wesker Hacker) Alaa from Syria (Alaa Alsory) and Khaled from Syria (Connect-r Syrian). Ridouan told Al-Alarabiya.net that the worst is yet to come: The Arab Electronic Army, he threatened, is planning more cyber-attacks to "repel all offenses against our religion."

 

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