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Nova Scotia’s justice minister decried the use of vigilante justice on Wednesday after an anonymous “hacktivist” group threatened to name the four boys involved in the alleged gang rape of a Halifax teenager who later killed herself.

Rehtaeh Parsons, 17, was removed from life support on Sunday after hanging herself last Thursday. Her mother, Leah, says her daughter was bullied mercilessly after four boys sexually assaulted her in 2011 and then circulated a photo of the attack.

The group Anonymous said in a news release Wednesday that it had identified two of the boys and demanded police take “immediate legal action” against them.

“We do not approve of vigilante justice as the media claims,” the group said. “That would mean we approve of violent actions against these rapists at the hands of an unruly mob. What we want is justice. And that’s your job. So do it.”

Police investigated the sexual assault, which allegedly took place at a party when the girl was 15, and in consultation with the Crown, decided there was “insufficient evidence” to lay charges.

Even if the public is angry, it’s dangerous to make assumptions about any alleged perpetrators, Justice Minister Ross Landry said in an interview.

“Leah [Parsons] said she didn’t want harm to come to the other young people, that her daughter would not have wanted that,” said Mr. Landry, who met with the girl’s mother on Wednesday.

“We don’t want another child taking their life because some vigilante group thinks it’s OK … maybe it’s a wrong name — then what would they do to someone?”