Doha / Information Office/ 24 May

The State of Qatar stated that those responsible for hacking the official website of Qatar News Agency (QNA) will be traced and prosecuted.

An official source  at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated  that the website of Qatar News Agency (QNA) has been hacked at 12: 14 am, on Wednesday  morning  (yesterday) and false and unfounded news has been posted on it, falsely  attributed to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar. The website has been  brought under control nearly after four hours of  the hacking crime. However, there are still some attempts to hack the social media accounts of the (QNA) and such attempts are being  continuously resisted.

The source further stated  that it is not unknown that this malicious electronic crime has its despicable goals on the part of its perpetrators or instigators.

Indicated that the State of Qatar is astonished at  the position of some media and satellite channels, which,  despite the issuance of a statement by H.E. Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al-Thani, Director of the Government Communication Office, containing an announcement  that the website of Qatar News Agency was  being hacked   and false statements being attributed to HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, yet some  media  and satellite channels continued to circulate these false  statements and comment on them instead  of first verifying  the validity of these false news and cease circulating them - particularly after the issuance of a statement an official source of the State -  a matter which runs counter to professional and ethical rules and raises more than one question about the motives and objectives of these media  organs.

The source indicated that a team investigating this hacking crime has been formed. Some brotherly and friendly states expressed their willingness to participate in the investigations on this crime, as part of the international cooperation regarding such crimes.

The source stressed that the State of Qatar will undertake all means, legal measures and procedures to trace and prosecute the perpetrators of the piracy crime against  the Qatar News Agency website and will reveal the outcome of investigations as soon as they are finalized .