This isn't a "honor among thieves" thing. This is a "getting one over on someone you don't like because there's no consequences" thing.

This is a petty dispute. I'm not gonna go put a bullet in someone who over a petty dispute like this. Nobody is, not even thieves and other people who live outside the law. That's just absurd. Someone who I've wronged in doing so (i.e. someone who likes them) might put one back in me. Or there might be other consequences. People let those things go because it's just not worth it vs the risk of consequences.

But say I can do something that will cause the government to go after someone for me at no risk to myself... That's basically what happened here.

This is basically an attempted (we'll see if it succeeds) DDOS reflection attack but with government.