Qatar said Wednesday (May 24th) it had begun an inquiry into an unprecedented security breach by hackers who posted fake news stories attributed to its ruler on highly sensitive regional political issues, AFP reported.
The cyber attack hit Qatar's official news agency website and Twitter account.
Qatar's Communications Office said the stories were completely untrue, and had "no basis whatsoever".
"The Qatar News Agency website has been hacked by an unknown entity," the Communications Office said in a statement. "A false statement attributed to His Highness has been published."
Officials said the inquiry had already begun, and that the communications office was expected to make a further statement later on Wednesday.
The communications office said that the state of Qatar will hold all those who committed the breach accountable.
The "false statement" on QNA was picked up and reported by broadcasters and newspapers across the region, including in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
