UAE behind Qatar hacking: Report
Washington, July 17: The United Arab Emirates orchestrated the hacking of a Qatari government news site in May, planting a false story that was used as a pretext for the current crisis between Qatar and several Arab countries, according to a report by The Washington Post.
The Emirati Embassy in Washington released a statement in response calling the Post report “false” and insisting the UAE “had no role whatsoever” in the alleged hacking.
UAE foreign minister Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash said: “The Washington Post story is not true, purely not true,” adding the story “will die” in the next few days.
Qatar, meanwhile, said the report proved its version of events, that its websites were hacked and that quotes were fabricated and published, the CNN reported.
In a statement the Qatari government said it was “unfortunate that this shameful act of cyber terrorism is being attributed to a fellow member of the Gulf Cooperation Council” — the regional trade and security group.
The Post report quotes unnamed US intelligence officials as saying that senior members of the Emirati government discussed the plan on May 23. On the following day, a story appeared on the Qatari News Agency’s website quoting a speech by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad alThani, in which he allegedly praised Iran and said Qatar has a good relationship with Israel. Similarly incendiary statements appeared on the news agency’s Twitter feed.
The agency claimed it was hacked and removed the article. But Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt all blocked Qatari media and later severed diplomatic ties.
The ongoing crisis has threatened to complicate the US-led coalition’s fight against the ISIS.