Sony Hackers Threaten “9/11-Style” Attack On Movie Theaters

A threatening message from the Guardians of Peace, the group responsible for hacking into and releasing more than a terabyte of Sony’s internal data so far, is alleging an attack on movie theaters that plan to screen Seth Rogen and James Franco’s movie “The Interview.”

“The world will be full of fear,” the message, first reported by BuzzFeed, reads. “Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.).”

Which theater will show what movie isn’t usually available until just days before a release. However, the Interview, a movie about an assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is scheduled for a wide release this Christmas. This threat could affect thousands of theaters across the U.S.

In a phone interview, the FBI told TechCrunch that it is aware of the threats and that an investigation is underway.

FBI spokesperson Jennifer Shearer in a statement said: “The FBI continues to work collaboratively with our partners to investigate the Sony attack.”

The hackers on Tuesday also leaked a “Christmas gift” of Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton’s emails. “We have already promised a Christmas gift to you,” reads the previous message from the group posted over the weekend. “This is the beginning of the gift.” The group claims to have the equivalent of over 12,000 CDs of data from Sony and has promised to leak more if the group doesn’t get what it wants. Lynton had apologized to staff about the attacks in two town hall meetings held for employees on Monday.

Seth Rogen and James Franco have also canceled appearances, according to Variety. Rogen appeared on The Colbert Report on Monday night but won’t be doing any interviews for a couple of days, according to his manager, Matt Labov.

Here’s the full warning from the Guardians of Peace below:

“Warning

We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places “The Interview” be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to.
Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made.
The world will be full of fear.
Remember the 11th of September 2001.
We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.
(If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.)
Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
All the world will denounce the SONY.”