Hacker group Anonymous takes down Vatican website

The hacking group Anonymous took down the Vatican website on Wednesday, saying it was targeting the “corrupt” Catholic Church, a day after a high-profile bust of the group's alleged leaders. “Anonymous decided today to besiege your site in response to the doctrine, to the liturgies, to the absurd and anachronistic concepts that your for-profit organization spreads around the world,” the hackers said in a statement. “This attack is not against the Christian religion or the faithful around the world but against the corrupt Roman Apostolic Church,” said the statement, posted on the Italian-language version of the Anonymous website. Anonymous tried and failed to attack the Vatican website last year. Five alleged computer hackers in Britain, Ireland and the United States were charged on Tuesday in high-profile cyber-attacks after a leader of the group became an FBI informant. The charges against alleged members of Anonymous, Lulz Security and other international hacking groups were unveiled in indictments unsealed by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The indictments cover some of the most notorious hacking incidents of the past several years including those against Sony Pictures Entertainment, private intelligence firm Stratfor and computer security firm HBGary.