Five people arrested for hacking Qatar’s news agency

Shabina Khatri
Aug 26, 2017 · 1 min read
Photo for illustrative purposes only. Credit: Pixabay

Five people suspected of hacking Qatar’s official state news agency have recently been detained in Turkey, authorities have announced.

Speaking to QNA, Attorney General Dr. Ali bin Fetais al Marri said:

“Our friends in Turkey answered us a short time ago. Five people were arrested and they are being investigated. The prosecutors in Qatar are working with the Turkish authorities to follow this case.”

The hack took place in May. At the time, QNA published fake news attributed to Qatar’s Emir, including offensive remarks about the country’s neighbors.

This kicked off a months-long Gulf dispute that still shows no signs of abating.

UAE’s involvement

No details were provided about the detainees’ nationalities or backgrounds.

But last month, the Ministry of Interior said that the cyberattack originated from the UAE.

One captain added at the time that the hack “was so professional that it had to have ‘state resources’ behind it.”

US intelligence officials also supported this claim, though the UAE has denied it.

Thoughts?

Doha News

Covering breaking news, politics, business, culture and life in and around Qatar since 2009.

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Shabina Khatri

Written by

Journalist, editor, story-teller.

Doha News

Doha News

Covering breaking news, politics, business, culture and life in and around Qatar since 2009.

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