The United Arab Emirates arranged for Qatari government social media and news sites to be hacked in late May in order to post false quotes linked to Qatar’s emir, prompting Arab diplomatic crisis, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing US intelligence officials.
The Qatari emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, had been falsely quoted in May as praising Hamas and Iran, the Post reported. In response, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting “terrorism”. Qatar strongly denies the allegations, Al Jazeera reported.
Qatar said in late May that hackers had posted fake remarks by the emir, an explanation rejected by the Persian Gulf Arab states.
The Post reported that US intelligence officials learned last week of newly analyzed information that showed that senior UAE government officials discussed the planned hacks on May 23, the day before they occurred.
The officials said it was unclear if the UAE hacked the websites or paid for them to be carried out, the newspaper reported. The Post did not identify the intelligence officials it spoke to for the report.
UAE ambassador to the US, Yousef al-Otaiba denied the report in a statement, saying it was “false,” the Post said.
“What is true is Qatar’s behavior. Funding, supporting, and enabling extremists from the Taliban to Hamas and Gaddafi. Inciting violence, encouraging radicalization, and undermining the stability of its neighbors,” the statement said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was previously known to be working with Qatar to probe the hacking.
Qatar said in June it had proof that the recent hacking of its state-run news agency and government social media accounts was linked to countries that have recently cut ties with it.
“Qatar has evidence that certain iPhones originating from countries laying siege to Qatar were used in the hack,” Ali Bin Fetais al-Marri, Qatar’s attorney general, told reporters in the capital, Doha, on June 21.
Caption: US intelligence officials learned senior UAE government officials discussed the planned hacks on May 23.
