5 Turks arrested on charges of 'hacking' QNA agency

CAIRO – 26 August 2017: Security forces arrested five Turkish computer hackers allegedly for involvement in a claimed cyber attack on state-owned Qatar News Agency (QNA) three months ago, Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Asawt reported on Saturday.

Qatar’s General Prosecutor Ali al-Marri said following his meeting with Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul in Ankara, that the suspects are currently under investigations. Both countries are required to follow up investigations with each other.

Last May, the news agency was allegedly hacked, as Qatari authorities claimed, and published statements attributed to the Emir of Qatar in which he accused Egypt and the Gulf states of conducting campaigns against Qatar’s image by claiming that Qatar supports terrorism.

Since then, tensions rose between four Arab states and Qatar, resulting in cutting diplomatic relations. On 5 June Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), UAE, and Bahrain, boycotted Qatar for accusations of supporting terrorism.

Qatar has previously accused United Arab of Emirates of hacking the agency and publishing the statements.

After the cutting ties crisis, Turkey has showed support and cooperation with Qatar.Accordingly one of the demands of the four Arab states was that the Gulf nation should cut ties with Turkey known for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood group that is already labeled as terrorist group.

Statements allegedly published on QENA came few days after a US-Arab-Islamic summit in Saudi Arabia in attendance of leaders Gulf states, Egypt, Qatar and other countries as well as US president Donald Trump. During the summit Saudi Arabia has expressed the view that Iran was the biggest supporter of terrorism in the region. Qatar condemned this in QENA’s statements.