DDOS attacks will be launched against the department’s websites on March 30

Mar 28, 2014 11:01 GMT  ·  By

Anonymous hackers have published a video statement threatening to launch cyberattacks against the websites of the Albuquerque Police Department after officers shot and killed James Boyd, a homeless man who was camped outside a public housing complex.

“Recently, a video has been released to the public which shows Albuquerque Police Officers murdering a man in cold blood for 'illegally camping'. This man, which was schizophrenic, obviously had no intention of hurting these police officers, on the contrary, this man looks as if he is simply attempting to protect himself from visually fierce militarized thugs,” the hacktivists said.

“Whether this man had a history of crime is irrelevant. We drastically need to address the growing police state that has occupied our country. When will we say no more? How many more citizens will be murdered?” they added.

“Naturally, the APD will attempt to label Anonymous as a terrorist organization for our demands of justice, but the question has to be asked. Who do we terrorize? Is it not a growing police state that terrorizes its own citizens?”

The hacktivists urge their supporters to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks against the Albuquerque Police Department’s webpage on the website of the City of Albuquerque (cabq.gov/police) and the Albuquerque Police Department’s site (apdonline.com).

They also urge people to protest outside the police department’s headquarters. Both the online and real-world protests are scheduled for March 30.

City of Albuquerque representatives have told Fox News that they take the threat from Anonymous hackers seriously. Security measures are being put in place to protect the city’s websites.

“We respect this group. They have an ability to get into highly, federally protected computer systems ... and we're going to do what we can to guard against the problem,” said City attorney Rob Perry.

Hundreds of people have already protested on the streets of the city against the killing of Boyd. However, earlier this week, officers shot and killed another man, Alfred Redwine. Police say Redwine opened fire, but the man’s family members claim that he was only holding a cell phone in his hand, not a gun.

In Boyd’s case, police say he threatened to kill officers with a knife, but a video published after the incident shows that the homeless camper was gathering his belongings and turned away before officers opened fire.

Both incidents are being investigated. Albuquerque police are already being investigated by the US Department of Justice for the use of force.

Check out the video posted by Anonymous: