Hackers Post Threat Against Albuquerque Police

March 28, 2014
The loosely organized group known as Anonymous released a cryptic video Wednesday strongly denouncing the March 16 police shooting of a homeless man in the Sandia foothills.

An Internet hackers' collective is threatening the Albuquerque Police Department.

The loosely organized group known as Anonymous released a cryptic video Wednesday strongly denouncing the March 16 police shooting of a homeless man in the Sandia foothills. The group urged the people of Albuquerque to "occupy" APD headquarters on Sunday.

It also warned of a cyberattack on the department's websites.

The video calls APD officers "militarized thugs" and warns them of possible retribution for the police shooting of James M. Boyd.

Rob Perry, Albuquerque's chief administrative officer, said the city takes the threat seriously.

"We are going to guard as best we can against any penetration into our system," Perry told reporters on Wednesday. "The folks that made the threat have certainly had success against other government agencies and large corporations in the past."

Anonymous has also targeted the Tunisian government, the Westboro Baptist Church, the Church of Scientology and the United States government.

Now it's asking members to "grab your cannons and aim them at Albuquerque police websites."

Members have in past cyberattacks used "denial of service" attacks, which flood networks and render them impossible to access. Some of these attacks can include viruses or can be even more malicious.

The video shows an icon of a headless, suited man overlaid on helmet-camera footage of officers shooting and killing Boyd. "We drastically need to address the growing police state that has occupied our country," the figure says. "... Let them know that your city is not a place for war games against the homeless and the less fortunate."

Copyright 2014 - Albuquerque Journal, N.M.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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