Hackers Target WikiLeaks Foes

Supporters of WikiLeaks called on hackers to take down the operations of Internet companies that are refusing to do business with rogue Web site WikiLeaks.

Among the targets are PayPal, which suspended WikiLeaks' account for violating its terms of service for promoting illegal activities. Other organizations that could be in the hackers' crosshairs are Amazon Web Services and EveryDNS.net, both of which booted WikiLeaks as a customer last week.

Among those calling for strikes against WikiLeaks foes is a notorious group of hackers that operate under the name Anonymous.

"The reason is amazingly simple," said Anonymous member Gregg Housh. "We all believe information should be free, and the Internet should be free," said Housh, in an interview with The New York Times published Monday.

The Times is one of several newspapers that published excerpts from WikiLeaks' latest batch of classified U.S. government documents.

The Guardian, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel also published excerpts. Over the weekend, efforts to knock WikiLeaks offline spurred supporters to erect hundreds of mirrors sites that display copies of the Web site's contents.

The leaked documents revealed serious concerns within the U.S. diplomatic community about the resolve and trustworthiness of several key allies, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the war on terror.

They also disclosed Saudi Arabia's wish for a U.S. military strike against Iran, and painted unflattering pictures of Western leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Interpol has issued a "red notice" to member countries requesting that Assange be arrested and extradited to Sweden, where he's wanted on charges of alleged rape and sexual harassment following complaints from two Swedish women.

Assange is thought to be currently residing in the United Kingdom.