French websites were targetted by alleged Islamist cyber attacks Sunday, thought to be in response to comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The cyberattack was confirmed by an official French government Twitter account on Sunday which stated that a number of sites were under attack and many had been defaced by hackers.
According to a report from European broadcaster Europe1, the messages included Islamist sentiments with one stating, “Victory for Mohammed, Victory for Islam and Death to France,” and another showing a picture of the French president as a pig was posted to the Regional Technical Centre for Visual Impairment website.
An alleged group of Islamic hackers took credit for the attack on one website and left a message saying, “Operation launched by Muslim hackers against France for insulting the Prophet Mohammad and publicly desecrating Islam.”
Broadcaster TF1 also had its Facebook page inundated with violent messages and other hateful rhetoric toward both President Macron and France. The hackers behind the cyber attacks are thought to come from Bangladesh but little is known about the group.
The attacks come as many in the Islamic world have reacted strongly to comments made by President Macron in the wake of the murder of French teacher Samuel Paty who was beheaded in the street by a radical Islamic terrorist after showing his class cartoons of Mohammed.
Supermarkets in Qatar and Kuwait have vowed to boycott French goods and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not only called for a similar boycott but claimed that President Macron is mentally ill due to his comments.
“Macron needs treatment on a mental level,” Erdogan said and added, “What else can be said to a head of state who does not understand freedom of belief and who behaves in this way to millions of people living in his country who are members of a different faith?”
Following the comments from the Turkish leader, France withdrew its Turkish ambassador for “consultations.”