The Guardians of Peace, the anonymous group who hacked Sony Pictures, sent out threats on Tuesday against movie theaters that are planning to premiere "The Interview," making allusions to the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, according to Yahoo.
The hack attack on the inbox of Michael Lynton, the CEO of Sony Entertainment, was initially what the Guardians of Peace called the start of their "Christmas gift," and now they are upping the ante with threats of bombing should Sony push through with the film's premiere. The group is warning people against going to theaters or at staying near these places in case they don't want to get hurt.
The threat was reportedly posted on the website Pastebin, which allowed people to post anonymously. The message from the Guardians of Peace warned that they will show people who watched the movie a "bitter fate" that "those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to," according to CNN.
"The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2011," the ominous message read.
The group also warned that it was all due to Sony, according to Variety.
"Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Picture Entertainment," the message said. "All the world will denounce SONY."
The entire debacle can reportedly be traced back to the fact that North Korea was reportedly displeased over the depiction of the assassination attempt of Kim Jong-un shown in "The Interview," and hackers from the country were said to have launched the attack in revenge, according to Variety.
While representatives from North Korea denied their involvement in the matter, they have expressed praise over the attacks.
"The Interview" will be released on theaters on Christmas day, but will have its premiere ahead of time in New York at the Sunshine Cinema in Manhattan on Thursday, according to CNN. In response to the threats, the New York Police Department is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
John Miller, the commissioner of intelligence and counter-terrorism of the NYPD, stated that while they were evaluating the threat, there were actually no clear signs if Guardians of Peace were planning a cyber or physical attack.
The Department of Homeland Security also stated that they were analyzing the message, but there was no "credible intelligence" that implied there was an active threat to movie theaters, according to Yahoo.
However, in response to the threats, "The Interview" stars James Franco and Seth Rogen have pulled out on a few media appearances related to the show. Representatives for both actors also declined to release a statement on the matter. Sony also has yet to respond to the threats.
