Kremlin link to fake accounts to boost terror

Russia has ‘‘systematically’’ used fake accounts on Twitter and Facebook to increase the psychological effects of terror attacks in Britain, experts say.

At least 47 accounts linked to the Kremlin posted polarising and often hate-filled and Islamophobic messages after four atrocities this year, including the Manchester Arena and London Bridge attacks, according to the report, which was seen by The Times and MPs.

The 475 messages were shared more than 150,000 times and some were posted within minutes of the events. Researchers at the Cardiff University Crime and Security Research Institute (CSRI) said the posts were part of a ‘‘systematic campaign being directed at the UK, designed to amplify the public harms of terrorist attacks’’ by creating fear and division.

The accounts’ often rapid interventions attracted considerable support. One tweet saying ‘‘Another day, another Muslim terrorist attack. RETWEET if you think that Islam needs to be banned RIGHT NOW!’’ was retweeted 3,606 times after it was posted an hour after the Manchester bombing. Another tweet from the same @TEN_GOP account showed a screengrab from a live broadcast of the aftermath of the London Bridge attack on AlJazeera’s Facebook page. It claimed that the image showed ‘‘moderate Muslims’’ laughing at the carnage. ‘‘Look how all of these moderate Muslims on Al Jazeera react to the London terrorist attack #London Bridge.’’ It was retweeted 3,932 times.

The account, which had more than 136,000 followers, was ostensibly run by Republican supporters based in Tennessee but was actually run from the Russian state-sponsored Internet Research Agency in St Petersburg.

Some accounts mimicked those of Western rightwingers, while others masqueraded as news outlets.

MPs said Russia’s actions in exploiting the tragedies were ‘‘unforgivable’’ and that the social media companies needed to do more to prevent this abuse of their platforms.

Professor Anthony Glees, an intelligence expert at the University of Buckingham, said: ‘‘It’s self-evident they aim to confuse, to mobilise and radicalise public opinion, hoping to set off a chain reaction which could ultimately lead to violence on the streets and so to a breakdown of law and order. This goes way beyond a simple attempt to influence the way a person votes in an election.’’

Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, told the Sunday Times that Russia was more hostile to the UK and the West now than it was at the end of the Cold War. Johnson will make his first trip to Moscow on Friday when he is expected to try to stabilise tense relations and to discuss the state of relations with Ukraine, Syria, Iran and North Korea.