UAE ‘sparked Qatar row’

The United Arab Emirates orchestrated the hacking of Qatari Government news and social media sites in order to post incendiary false quotes attributed to Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, in May that sparked the upheaval between Qatar and its neighbours, US intelligence officials say.

Officials became aware last week that newly analysed information gathered by US intelligence agencies confirmed that on May 23, senior members of the UAE Government discussed the plan and its implementation. The officials said it remains unclear whether the UAE carried out the hacks itself or contracted to have them done. The false reports said that the emir, among other things, had called Iran an “Islamic power” and praised Hamas.

The hacks and posting took place on May 24, shortly after US President Donald Trump met with Gulf leaders in Saudi Arabia and declared them unified. Citing the Emir’s reported comments, the Saudis, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt immediately banned all Qatari media. They then broke relations with Qatar and declared a trade and diplomatic boycott, sending the region into a political and diplomatic tailspin.

In a statement released in Washington by its Ambassador, Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE said the Washington Post story was “false”.

“The UAE had no role whatsoever in the alleged hacking described in the article. What is true is Qatar’s behaviour. Funding, supporting, and enabling extremists from the Taliban to Hamas ... Inciting violence, encouraging radicalisation, and undermining the stability of its neighbours.”