Bahrain suggests websites attacked right before parliamentary election
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bahrain mentioned Saturday hackers focused internet websites in the island kingdom just hours just before a planned parliamentary election.
The Inside Ministry did not detect the internet sites qualified, but the country’s point out-operate Bahrain News Agency could not be arrived at on-line nor could the web page for Bahrain’s parliament.
“Websites are getting qualified to hinder the elections and circulate adverse messages in desperate attempts that will not have an impact on the determination of citizens who will go to the polling stations,” the Interior Ministry mentioned.
Screenshots taken by world-wide-web customers showed a image after the hack proclaiming it was carried out by a earlier unidentified account known as Al-Toufan, or “The Flood” in Arabic. Social media accounts linked with Al-Toufan reported the group targeted the parliament’s site “due to the persecution carried out by the Bahraini authorities, and in implementation of the well known will to boycott the sham elections.”
A banned Shiite opposition group and many others have known as on voters to boycott the election.
Bahraini officials did not quickly respond to a request for remark.
The attack transpired just several hours forward of parliamentary and municipal elections in Bahrain. Voters will pick the 40 members of the lower household of Bahrain’s parliament, the Council of Associates. The parliament’s higher residence, the Consultative Council, is appointed by royal decree by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Bahrain is in the midst of a ten years-long crackdown on all dissent just after the 2011 Arab Spring protests, which observed the island’s Shiite majority and other individuals demanding extra political flexibility.
Given that Bahrain place down the protests with the support of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it has imprisoned Shiite activists, deported other folks, stripped hundreds of their citizenship and closed down its leading unbiased newspaper.
Bahrain, about the sizing of New York City, is household to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
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Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bahrain mentioned Saturday hackers focused internet websites in the island kingdom just hours just before a planned parliamentary election.
The Inside Ministry did not detect the internet sites qualified, but the country’s point out-operate Bahrain News Agency could not be arrived at on-line nor could the web page for Bahrain’s parliament.
“Websites are getting qualified to hinder the elections and circulate adverse messages in desperate attempts that will not have an impact on the determination of citizens who will go to the polling stations,” the Interior Ministry mentioned.
Screenshots taken by world-wide-web customers showed a image after the hack proclaiming it was carried out by a earlier unidentified account known as Al-Toufan, or “The Flood” in Arabic. Social media accounts linked with Al-Toufan reported the group targeted the parliament’s site “due to the persecution carried out by the Bahraini authorities, and in implementation of the well known will to boycott the sham elections.”
A banned Shiite opposition group and many others have known as on voters to boycott the election.
Bahraini officials did not quickly respond to a request for remark.
The attack transpired just several hours forward of parliamentary and municipal elections in Bahrain. Voters will pick the 40 members of the lower household of Bahrain’s parliament, the Council of Associates. The parliament’s higher residence, the Consultative Council, is appointed by royal decree by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Bahrain is in the midst of a ten years-long crackdown on all dissent just after the 2011 Arab Spring protests, which observed the island’s Shiite majority and other individuals demanding extra political flexibility.
Given that Bahrain place down the protests with the support of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it has imprisoned Shiite activists, deported other folks, stripped hundreds of their citizenship and closed down its leading unbiased newspaper.
Bahrain, about the sizing of New York City, is household to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
———
Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
