HostingAnime or Hosting Anime is a free web hosting service which is supposedly based in Westchester, California. The company rents webspace from a Houston, Texas-based server known as Everyone's Internet.
The company has raised some controversy amongst some Internet-users for hosting many suspected al-Qaeda-run websites which advocate jihad against the United States and other US-led occupation forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
HostingAnime has been the ISP for the al-Qaeda websites which show the beheading images and video of Paul Johnson, Kim Sun-il, Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley. The company cites "free speech" as a justification for hosting such content.
In 2004, they won a court victory declaring it perfectly legal for them to host such content, even though the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Justice have knowledge of the sites being hosted. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has stated that the company is allowed to host such sites because the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech.
An investigation by freelance writer Jeremy Reynalds discovered that the name "Mark Smith" was used to register HostingAnime using a Seattle, Washington mailing address at the Wharfside Pointe Apartments . The landlord of the apartment building reportedly could not verify occupancy by a tenant named "Mark Smith". As a result, it appears that HostingAnime is registered under a false address and owner name.
Reynalds reported that the contact address provided for HostingAnime is 8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Westchester, California 90045. According to the building manager at that location, HostingAnime is not a tenant but a web-hosting company known as Namecheap , HostingAnime's ISP, does maintain offices there.
As of November 16, 2004, HostingAnime has suspended all militant-linked webpages on its servers. This was due to the purchase of HostingAnime by new owners.
External Links
Still in Use
Former al-Qaeda Affiliated Websites
http://www.hostinganime.com/sout18 (Paul Johnson's captors)
http://www.hostinganime.com/neda3/sout/ (Paul Johnson's captors)
http://www.hostinganime.com/iraqnews3/ (Armstrong, Henley & Bigley's captors)
http://www.hostinganime.com/iraqnews2/ (Site containing Armstrong, Henley & Bigley)
http://www.hostinganime.com/iraqnews1/ (Kim Sun-Il's captors)
http://www.hostinganime.com/abu-hafs/ (Threat towards European nations with soldiers in Iraq)
http://www.hostinganime.com/haramin/ (Al-Haramin Brigades website)
http://www.hostinganime.com/faroq/Osama2usa.htm (A bin Laden Speech to the U.S.)
http://www.hostinganime.com/qaedoon/ (Returns 403, 23/09/2004)
http://www.hostinganime.com/seer/ ("Martyrs" of the Arabian Peninsula)
http://www.hostinganime.com/sear/ (Same Content as Above)
http://www.hostinganime.com/abuhagar/abuhager.htm (Site Glorifying Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin's "Martyrdom")
http://www.hostinganime.com/battar/ (Former Notorious On-line Terrorist-training Website)
http://www.hostinganime.com/kataeb/ (Death Brigade Squad)
http://www.hostinganime.com/gim/GIMfaroq.htm (Global Islamic Media Center that had the latest bin Laden speeches and propaganda)
http://www.hostinganime.com/abuhafs (Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades' intentions on striking Italy)
The following list is a work in progress - these still need verifying:
http://www.hostinganime.com/e3dad123/film.htm
http://www.hostinganime.com/e3dad123/files.htm
http://www.hostinganime.com/neda5/
http://www.hostinganime.com/neda4/
http://www.hostinganime.com/neda3/
http://www.hostinganime.com/neda2/
http://www.hostinganime.com/meshawir/
http://www.hostinganime.com/sout19/
