Elaph news service hacked over Hariri article

LONDON: The Arabic news service Elaph.com had its social media accounts compromised early on Wednesday, with hackers spreading a “fake” apology for a controversial story about Lebanese premier Saad Hariri.
The London-based portal had its Facebook and Twitter accounts hacked but fought off a sustained attempt to compromise the website itself, said Othman Al-Omeir, founder of Elaph.com.
“We have no idea who attacked us. We are in contact with our providers and other specialists to find out,” Al-Omeir told Arab News.
The hack followed a story posted at Elaph.com about relations between Lebanon and Turkey. The analysis story claimed that Hariri was leaning toward Turkey while also distancing himself from Saudi Arabia.
Hackers apparently broke into the Elaph Facebook and Twitter accounts to post a fake apology to Hariri for the story.
Al-Omeir said Elaph is now back in control of its social media accounts and plans to take “action” when the perpetrators are known.
He added that such hacking attempts are common for a news agency. “This is part of the job,” he said.