Nov 2, 2015

Ku Klux Klan info leaked by Anonymous; Mayors, Senators, Alabama KKK group included

Leada Gore
AL.com
November 02, 2015 

Anonymous
Anonymous 

The hacktivist group Anonymous has begun publishing personal details of members of the Ku Klux Klan, including information allegedly connected to groups in Alabama.

In a press release, Anonymous said it has launched "Operation KKK," an effort to reveal personal information on members of the white supremacist group. The group originally said it would release information on as many as 1,000 KKK members on Nov. 5 but posted some phone numbers and emails Sunday and Monday.

"You are legally free to live and be any which way you choose to live and be," Anonymous said in a message directed to the KKK. "Keep in mind, it is not illegal nor oppressive to hurt your feelings. With that said, we are stripping you of your anonymity. This is not a threat, but rather a promise."

The two groups first squared off last summer during unrest in Ferguson, Missouri over the police-involved shooting death of black teenager.

Alabama groups

The first wave of postings included email addresses and phone numbers Anonymous claims belong to KKK members and groups. So far, four separate postings include 57 numbers and 23 email addresses. None of the information has been verified.

One of those emails apparently belongs to an Alabama group - invisibleempireofalabama@gmail.com. Requests for comments sent to that email address have not been returned.

In previous online postings, Anonymous had listed names of four KKK groups in Alabama: the International Keystone Knights of the KKK in Pinson; Loyal White Knights of the KKK in Birmingham; United Klans of America in Ashland; and North Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Red Bay.

Of those groups, only the Loyal White Knights and United Klans of America are listed on the Southern Poverty Law Center's map of KKK groups in Alabama. It's unclear whether the other groups are official organizations or loosely organized groups. SPLC estimates there are 72 KKK groups nationwide with an estimated 3,000 members.

Anonymous said the rest of the information will be released Nov. 5 to coincide with the group's "Million Mask March" planned for that day.

Elected officials

In a separate leak, Anonymous posted a list of elected officials, including U.S. Senators and mayors, that it claims are affiliated with the KKK. None of the elected officials on the unverified list are from Alabama and some of those named are quickly issuing denials.

"This allegation is false, insulting and ridiculous," said Lexington, Kentucky mayor Jim Gray, whose name was included on the list. "I have never had any relationship of any kind with the KKK. I am opposed to everything it stands for. I have no idea where this information came from, but wherever it came from, it is wrong."

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