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Qatar: FBI says Russian hackers 'planted fake news story' that led to crisis – report Qatar: UAE and Saudi Arabia step up pressure in diplomatic crisis
(about 1 hour later)
US intelligence officials believe Russian hackers planted a false news story that prompted Saudi Arabia and several allies to sever relations with Qatar, according to CNN. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have increased the pressure on Qatar, insisting diplomatic and economic relations would not be restored until the tiny Gulf state breaks all links with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Iran.
FBI experts visited Qatar in late May to analyse an alleged cyberbreachthat led to the hackers placing the fake story with Qatar’s state news agency, the US broadcaster said. The Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, who is due in Berlin for talks with his German counterpart on Wednesday, said it was up to Qatar, which denies funding extremist groups, to take action to relieve a block on air, sea and land links with its neighbours.
Saudi Arabia then cited the false report as part of its reason for instituting a diplomatic and economic blockade of Qatar, the report said. The blockade was joined by several other Gulf states and has spiralled into the worst diplomatic crisis for the region in decades. “Nobody wants to hurt Qatar. It has to choose whether it must move in one direction or another direction. We took this step with great pain so that it understands that these policies are not sustainable and must change,” he told reporters, He claimed Qatar was undermining the Palestinian Authority and Egypt in its support of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Qatar’s government said the news report on 23 May attributed false remarks to the emirate’s ruler that appeared friendly to Iran and Israel, and questioned whether the US president, Donald Trump, would last in office, according to CNN. “We want to see Qatar implement the promises it made a few years back with regard to its support of extremist groups, to its hostile media and interference in affairs of other countries.”
The Qatari foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, told the broadcaster that the FBI had confirmed the hack and the planting of fake news. The UAE foreign minister, Anwar Gargash, threatened more curbs if necessary and said Qatar needed to make “iron-clad” commitments to change policies on funding militants. The country also threatened anyone publishing expressions of sympathy towards Qatar with up to 15 years in prison and barred Qatari passport- or resident visa-holders entry.
“Whatever has been thrown as an accusation is all based on misinformation and we think that the entire crisis is being based on misinformation,” he said. “It was started based on fabricated news, being wedged and being inserted in our national news agency, which was hacked and proved by the FBI,” he said. “Strict and firm action will be taken against anyone who shows sympathy or any form of bias towards Qatar, or against anyone who objects to the position of the United Arab Emirates, whether it be through the means of social media or any type of written, visual or verbal form,” Gulf News quoted the UAE attorney general, Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, as saying.
If accurate, the allegations would indicate Russian efforts to undermine US foreign policy, building on US intelligence concerns that Russian hackers attempted to influence last year’s presidential election, won by Trump. The Kremlin denies any such action. The anti-Qatar alliance has been emboldened by Donald Trump, who threw his weight behind the Saudi-led effort to isolate the emirate in a surprise move on Tuesday. He suggested Qatar was funding extremism, but later spoke by phone with Saudi King Salman and stressed the need for Gulf unity.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain announced on Monday they were severing diplomatic relations and closing air, sea and land links with Qatar. The US defence secretary, James Mattis, also spoke to his Qatari counterpart to express commitment to the Gulf region’s security. Qatar hosts 10,000 US military personnel at al-Udeid, the US regional military headquarters and base for offensive operations against Isis in Syria and Iraq.
They accused the tiny Gulf state of harbouring extremist groups and suggested Qatari support for the agenda of Saudi Arabia’s regional arch-rival Iran. Qatar has strenuously denied the allegations. The German foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel, called for restraint in an interview with Handelsblatt before his Saudi meeting. “Apparently, Qatar is to be isolated more or less completely and hit existentially. Such a ‘Trumpification’ of relations in a region already susceptible to crises is particularly dangerous,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, made clear relations would not be restored unless Qatar broke all links with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Iran. Ordinary Qataris were meanwhile loading up on supplies in supermarkets, fearing shortages. Officials told Reuters on Wednesday it was in talks with Turkey and Iran to secure food supplies by air and the government had large strategic food reserves in Doha. There is enough grain in the markets to last four weeks, officials believe.
“We want to see Qatar implement the promises it made a few years back with regard to its support of extremist groups, to its hostile media and interference in affairs of other countries,” he told reporters in Paris. The crisis, the worst to hit the Gulf states in 30 years, has its origins in rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Support for Saudi Arabia from Trump is believed to have empowered Riyadh to act against its neighbour, which it believes has been too supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood and not sufficiently opposed to Iran.
“Nobody wants to hurt Qatar. It has to choose whether it must move in one direction or another direction. We took this step with great pain so that it understands that these policies are not sustainable and must change.” The final straw appears to have been reports in the Qatari media last month that its ruler had made a speech that appeared friendly to Iran. The Qataris deny the emir made the remarks and blamed hackers.
Jubeir added that Qatar was undermining the Palestinian Authority and Egypt in its support of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. CNN on Tuesday reported that US intelligence officials believe Russian hackers planted the false news story. FBI experts visited Qatar in May to analyse an alleged cyberbreach, the US broadcaster said.
Jubeir is due in Germany on Wednesday for potentially difficult talks with the German foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel. In an interview with Handelsblatt ahead of the meeting, Gabriel called for restraint. “Apparently, Qatar is to be isolated more or less completely and hit existentially. Such a ‘Trumpification’ of relations in a region already susceptible to crises is particularly dangerous,” he said. Qatar’s government said the news report on 23 May attributed false remarks to the emirate’s ruler that appeared friendly to Iran and Israel, and questioned whether Trump would last in office.
He added the nuclear deal agreed with Iran in 2015 had allowed just such an escalation to be avoided. “A toxic conflict between neighbours is that last thing we need,” Gabriel warned. The Qatari foreign minister said the FBI had confirmed the hack and the planting of fake news. “Whatever has been thrown as an accusation is all based on misinformation and we think that the entire crisis is being based on misinformation. It was started based on fabricated news, being wedged and being inserted in our national news agency, which was hacked and proved by the FBI.
The anti-Qatar alliance has been emboldened by Trump, who threw his weight behind the Saudi-led effort to isolate the emirate in a surprise move on Tuesday. He suggested Qatar was funding extremism. Moscow on Wednesday denied the allegations. “We’re getting tired of reacting to unsubstantiated banalities,” Andrei Krutskikh, a Kremlin adviser on cybersecurity, told the Interfax news agency. “Whatever happens it is hackers. It’s a stale claim and as ever, there is zero evidence, and conclusions are drawn before the incident is even investigated,” he said.
“So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off,” he tweeted in reference to his trip to Riyadh last month. “They said they would take a hard line on funding … extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!”
Trump’s forceful criticisms were not backed up by the state department, the Pentagon or senior Republican senators. The US has 11,000 soldiers stationed at a base in Qatar.
In a sign that Trump may yet adopt a more conciliatory approach, he has rung Saudi’s King Salman and stressed the need for Gulf unity. “The president underscored that a united Gulf Cooperation Council is critical to defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability,” the White House said in a statement regarding the call.
The CNN report quoted the Qatari government communications office as saying it was working with the FBI and the UK’s National Crime Agency on a hacking investigation.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report