LONDON — An India-based computer hacking
gang targeted critics of the
Qatar World Cup, an investigation by British
journalists said on Sunday.
اضافة اعلان
A database leaked to Britain’s Sunday Times and the
Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed the hacking of a dozen lawyers,
journalists, and famous people from 2019 “commissioned by one particular
client”, the newspaper and the bureau said in a statement.
“This investigation points strongly to this client
being the host of (the) World Cup: Qatar,” it said, prompting the Qatari
authorities to describe the allegations as “patently false and without merit”.
Among those targeted was
London-based consultant
Ghanem Nuseibeh whose company Cornerstone produced a report on corruption
relating to the World Cup, the Sunday Times said in its report based on the
joint investigation.
Others included Nathalie Goulet, a French senator
and vocal critic of Qatar for allegedly financing “Islamic terrorism”.
Another target was Mark Somos, a Germany-based
lawyer, who had made a complaint about the Qatari royal family to the UN Human
Rights Council, the report added.
The newspaper alleges that the hacking was
masterminded by a 31-year-old accountancy firm employee, who denies the claims.
Based in a suburb of the Indian tech city of
Gurugram near Delhi, his network of computer hackers allegedly ensnared their
targets using “phishing” techniques to gain access to their email inboxes,
sometimes also deploying malicious software to take control of their computer
cameras and microphones.
Hacking attacks were not limited, however, to those
with an interest in the Qatar World Cup.
In total, more than 100 victims had their private
email accounts targeted by the gang “on behalf of investigators working for
autocratic states, British lawyers, and their wealthy clients”, the report
said.
Qatar rejects claims
These included politicians
dealing with issues relating to Russia such as Britain’s former finance
minister Philip Hammond.
He was targeted during a period when he was dealing
with the aftermath of the 2018 Novichok attack on former double agent
Sergei Skripal which the UK has blamed on Russia.
The Swiss president and his deputy were also hacked
days after the president met then British prime minister Boris Johnson to
discuss Russian sanctions.
The gang also seized control of computers owned by
Pakistani politicians and generals and had their conversations monitored,
“apparently at the behest of the Indian secret services”, the Sunday Times
report added.
The World Cup kicks off in the Gulf state on
November 20.
A Qatari official rejected the allegations,
describing the Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s (TBIJ) report as “littered
with glaring inconsistencies and falsehoods that undermine the credibility of
their organization”.
“The report relies on a single source who claims his
ultimate client was Qatar, despite there being no evidence to prove it,” a
Qatari official told AFP in a statement.
“Numerous companies have also boasted of
non-existent ties to Qatar in an attempt to boost their profile in the run up
to the World Cup. TBIJ’s decision to publish the report without a single piece
of credible evidence to connect their allegations to Qatar raises serious
concerns about their motives, which appear to be driven by political, rather
than public interest, reasons,” the official added.
Read more Sports
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
