Hacking Group Anonymous Shuts Down F1 Web Site in Protest of Bahrain GP

The group of hackers known as Anonymous has shut down the Formula 1 web site in protest of the sport holding the Bahrain Grand Prix. The group set up a web site at F1-racers.net clarifying their position.

As of 1:07pm EST, the Formula 1 web site is partially available. When accessed, it redirects viewers to the mobile version of the site.

Anonymous says that they are shutting down the Formula 1 web site because, "For over one year the people of Bahrain have struggled against the oppressive regime of King Hamad bin Al Khalifa. They have been murdered in the streets, run over with vehicles, beaten, tortured, tear gassed, kidnapped by police, had their businesses vandalised by police, and have tear gas thrown in to their homes on a nightly basis."

They go on to say, "The Formula 1 racing authority was well-aware of the Human Rights situation in Bahrain and still chose to contribute to the regime's oppression of civilians and will be punished."

In a separate press release, Anonymous further threatened, "Beginning tomorrow, and lasting for the duration of this race - Anonymous will turn your web site (www.formula1.com) into a smoking crater in cyber space. We will also jam your phone lines, bomb your E-Mail inboxes - and wreck anything else of yours we can find on the internet."

The entire press release is available here. It goes into detail about the hunger strike by Bahraini dissident Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and the protest movement in the country in general. 

This story is still breaking, and it is unclear if Anonymous intends to keep attacking Formula 1. At the moment the web site is partially operable. 

Source: Autoblog