Dubai: Assailants have hacked the Twitter account of Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa and posted hostile and insulting videos, the foreign ministry and local media reported on Saturday.
The foreign ministry did not accuse any party of carrying out the hacking, but it appeared to have been carried out by militants who are behind anti-government protests in the country.
“The Account of H.E. Minister of Foreign Affairs has been hacked. Kindly be aware,” the foreign ministry said in a message posted on its Twitter account.
The hackers used the minister’s account to retweet postings from another account identified as Numour Al Huriya (Tigers of Liberty), which appears to be that of Shiite militants. One retweeted message contained pictures of Shiite leaders.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, though several videos posted bore the logo of the Mokhtar Brigade, a militant group that has claimed several bombings and attack on security forces.
The Arabic-language Al Wasat newspaper said on its website that hackers had posted several tweets and videos insulting to the minister. “Judging by the tweets, the hacking began at around 5:30 in the morning,” it said.
Tensions have increased in Bahrain, where the US Fifth Fleet is based, after a series of measures by the government to curb illegal activities by anti-government groups and individuals it accuses of fomenting sectarian tensions.
The Gulf Arab state accuses its non-Arab neighbour Iran of stoking tensions in the country, a charge the Islamic republic denies.
— Reuters
