Anonymous declares war against Gov. Snyder; cyberattacks confirmed

Anonymous hactivists have waged a campaign against Gov. Rick Snyder and other officials who ignored the Flint water crisis, pledging that “every wrongdoing will be rectified.”

In a video announcing the campaign, a disguised voice pledges to seek retribution for the thousands of people who have been poisoned by elevated levels of lead in the drinking water.

“The crimes committed by Gov. Snyder as well as other city officials will not go unpunished,” says the voice on the video, which was posted Wednesday.

“We do not forgive; we do not forget. The people responsible for this crisis will be held accountable.”

This past weekend, Michigan.gov was targeted in a cyberattack that briefly shut down the site, state officials told Motor City Muckraker on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, officials confirmed a cyberattack disrupted the website of Hurley Medical Center in Flint, which has been accused of turning away lead victims.

It’s unclear whether Anonymous was behind either attack.

IntelGroup, which identifies itself as a faction of Anonymous, is calling the action “the #OpFlint campaign.”

Calling Snyder a “murderer,” IntelGroup pledged the governor “is going to be shown the error of his evil ways.”

The video does not indicate how hactivists plan to target Snyder and other officials who now are acknowledging they seriously bungled the crisis.

Anonymous also targeted ISIS after the Paris terrorist attacks.

Snyder released e-mails related to the Flint water crisis from 2014 and 2015. Here are five disturbing findings from the e-mails. But Snyder has declined to release e-mails from 2013, which would reveal the lead-up to the water crisis.

Snyder’s office refused to say Thursday why the e-mails weren’t released, despite pledges to become more transparent.

  anonymous, cyberattack, Flint, flint water crisis, gov snyder, hacktivists, internet, Lansing, politics, Water

Steve Neavling

Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.

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