Anonymous Not Responsible For Early Leak Of KKK Member Names That Included Mayor, Senators

Anonymous recently announced that it would be releasing nearly 1,000 names of KKK members – but it was not responsible for the early leak that included the names of elected officials earlier this week.

Anonymous KKK Leak

Anonymous took to its Operation KKK Twitter account to end the speculation that they had released the names of mayors and senators Monday. The hacktivist collective also confirmed that it would be releasing the names of KKK members on Thursday, Nov. 5, as planned.

“#OpKKK was in no way involved with today’s release of information that incorrectly outed several politicians,” the group tweeted from its account.”

This account has NOT YET released any information. We believe in due diligence and will NOT recklessly involve innocent individuals #OpKKK

— Operation KKK (@Operation_KKK) November 2, 2015

The anons at the helm of this initiative vouch ONLY for the dox list that will be released from this Twitter account on November 5 2015. — Operation KKK (@Operation_KKK) November 2, 2015

#ICYMI #OpKKK was in no way involved with today’s release of information that incorrectly outed several politicians https://t.co/M1ltrb2P0B

— Operation KKK (@Operation_KKK) November 2, 2015

On Monday, a self-professed hacker who claimed to have information on KKK members, released the names of a number of high-profile politicians. Among them was Lexington, Ky., mayor Jim Gray, who called the allegations “false, insulting and ridiculous.” “I have never had any relationship of any kind with the KKK,” the Democratic mayor added in a statement. “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.” Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind) took to Twitter to refute claims of his own involvement with the KKK. “For those who are asking — I have never had any affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan and deplore all forms of racial discrimination,” Coats wrote. “This is baseless Internet garbage of the worst kind.”

For those who are asking – I have never had any affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan and deplore all forms of racial discrimination — Senator Dan Coats (@SenDanCoats) November 2, 2015

This is baseless Internet garbage of the worst kind — Senator Dan Coats (@SenDanCoats) November 2, 2015

Anonymous, which was formed in 2003, announced late last month on Twitter that it planned to mark the anniversary of the Ferguson protests by unhooding roughly 1,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan.

A few days after sending out the tweets, Anonymous put out a press release to explain its reasoning for unhooding more KKK members.

“After closely observing so many of you for so very long, we feel confident that applying transparency to your organizational cells is the right, just, appropriate and only course of action,” reads the release.

“You made a clear and ever present enemy of Anonymous when you threatened the lives of protesters and the men and women representing Anonymous on the ground in Ferguson, Missouri in November of 2014,” the release continued. “You continue to make threats to anons you believe you have identified, journalists, anyone in the public that speaks out against your behavior. Your threats and intimidation are unprovoked, unwanted and will not be tolerated.”

The Ku Klux Klan, believed to be America’s oldest and longest-running hate group, was founded following the American Civil War and was at its height in the 1920s with up to four million members. The group is largely known for its deplorable actions during the Civil Rights Movement. It now has a membership between 5,000 and 8,000.