Group claims responsibility for lewd Atlanta billboard

Kevin Rowson | WXIA-TV, Atlanta

Show Caption Hide Caption Atlanta porn billboard hackers claim responsibility A group called Assange Shuffle Collective is claiming responsibility for hacking an electronic billboard in Atlanta and displaying a pornographic image.

ATLANTA — A group claiming responsibility for a pornographic image on an electronic billboard in the heart of an Atlanta neighborhood seems to sympathize with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

On Saturday, a lewd image of a naked man flashed between ads on a digital billboard at the corner of Peachtree and East Paces Ferry roads in Buckhead.

Several people who saw the image called 911.

"It's not an emergency, it's just totally disgusting," one caller said. "There is an electronic billboard that is flashing a naked man."

On Wednesday, a group called Assange Shuffle Collective claimed responsibility on Reddit, a social networking and news website.

Assange took refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London in June 2012 fearing extradition to the U.S., where WikiLeaks published secret documents including 250,000 State Department cables.

On Monday, two days after the incident in Atlanta, Sweden's highest court rejected Assange's appeal of a pre-trial detention order over sexual assault allegations.

Prosecutors want to question Assange, 43, over allegations of rape, sexual molestation and illegal coercion made by two women after he traveled to Sweden in 2010. Assange, who has not been formally indicted, denies the allegations.

On Reddit, Assange Shuffle Collective wrote, "Ironically, we didn't realize that Buckhead was an incredibly affluent neighborhood, which makes the whole thing terrifically good fun. Burn the rich."

The FBI said it is now trying to track the group, though it may be difficult despite the group publicly claiming responsibility for posting the image.

In an exchange on Reddit, one poster wrote: "Good luck not getting arrested."

Assange Shuffle Collective responded, "Oh, we've got that covered. ALSO GOOD LUCK WE'RE BEHIND 7 PROXIES."

The group intimated that the Buckhead incident was not the only place they hit. The FBI said it is trying to determine the scope of the attack.

So far, there have been no other reported graphic displays on billboards across the country.

Contributing: Duffie Dixon, WXIA-TV, Atlanta; Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA TODAY.