14 DAY TRIAL // The Anonymous collective has launched a campaign against Italian authorities following the arrest of three of its members in the country.
The Italian police performed 32 raids and questioned 15 individuals yesterday in connection with Anonymous attacks against companies and organizations in the country.
Three suspects were arrested, including a man living in southern Switzerland who is accused of being the leader of Anonymous's Italian chapter.
The hacktivist group has put out a statement denying the man's role as a leader and noting that its Italian branch has been dismantled as reported by the press.
"Anonymous is [sic.] not been dismantled. Anonymous has no leaders, no structure. All anonymous members operate at the same level.
"Those arrested are not 'dangerous hackers' as the media calls them, but people like you. They have been arrested while peacefully protesting for there [sic.] and your rights," Anonymous said.
The hacktivist collective also said that there will be consequences to this police action and announced that its Italian branch will strike back in order to prove that it has not been crippled.
"Italy anonymous calls all citizens of the internet and the international anonymous: We need you! Let them have it, stronger than ever," the group writes.
Its response will likely take the form of denial of service attacks against official websites, like it happened in other countries where Anonymous members have been arrested.
The group claims that DDoS is a method of protest and compares it real life sit-ins. However, the fact remains that such attacks are criminal offences in most countries.
Security experts fear that Anonymous attracts a lot of rebellious teenagers who might not entirely understand what they are getting into. Anonymous members have been prosecuted successfully in the past and were sentenced to prison.