WASHINGTON: The Washington Post is reporting that the United Arab Emirates orchestrated the hacking of a Qatari government news site.
The Post says the UAE planted a false story that sparked the current crisis between Qatar and several Arab countries.
The Post report yesterday was quickly decried as "false" by the Emirati Embassy in Washington.
The Post cites unnamed US intelligence officials as saying that senior members of the Emirati government discussed the hacking plan on May 23.
A day later, a story on the Qatari News Agency's website quoted a speech by Qatar's emir in which he allegedly praised Iran and Israel.
The agency claimed it had been hacked. But Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Arab countries blocked Qatari media and later severed diplomatic ties.