In a statement published on the website, Anonymous stated that journalists who understand Anonymous suspect someone else was behind the attack, and that it was meant to damage the reputation of the group.
PREVENTION:
The statement attributed to Barrett Brown, who often speaks publicly for Anonymous, states, "Anonymous has never been known to have engaged in credit card theft" -- something short of a denial.
"No one who is actually associated with our movement would do something that would prompt a massive law enforcement response," the statement says, again falling short of a denial. "On the other hand, a group of standard online thieves would have every reason to frame Anonymous in order to put law enforcement off the track."
The statement says that journalists familiar with Anonymous and its motives suspect "that some capable party performed this operation as a means by which to do great damage to Anonymous in the public eye."