Isis hackers cut transmission of French broadcaster

French broadcaster TV5Monde was trying to restore regular programming on Thursday after hackers claiming to be from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) took over its channels and social media accounts.

The hackers cut transmission of the broadcaster's 11 channels late on Wednesday for several hours and posted messages on its website, Yves Bigot, TV5Monde's director, said.

They accused the French president, Francois Hollande, of having committed "an unforgivable mistake" by getting involved in "a war that serves no purpose". France is part of a US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against Isis in Iraq and Syria, where the group has seized swaths of territory in the past year.

"That's why the French received the gifts of Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher in January," the hackers said on the broadcaster's Facebook page, referring to the twin attacks by Islamist gunmen in Paris in January that left 17 people dead over three days and deeply shocked France.

Mr Bigot told RTL radio Thursday morning that the network had regained control of its channels but was still only able to broadcast recorded programmes.

"We are not yet in a position to re-establish our broadcasting schedule nor to produce programmes," Mr Bigot told RTL. "When you work in television . . . and discover that your 11 channels are down, that's one of the most terrible things that can happen," he said.

Meanwhile, the network's website was still down for maintenance on Thursday morning after the hackers had earlier posted "I am IS [Isis]" on it together with a banner by a group calling itself Cybercaliphate.

AFP reported that the hackers also posted documents on TV5Monde's Facebook page purporting to be the identity cards and CVs of relatives of French soldiers involved in anti-Isis operations, along with threats against the troops.

"Soldiers of France, stay away from the Islamic State! You have the chance to save your families, take advantage of it," read one message on TV5Monde's Facebook page, according to AFP. "The CyberCaliphate continues its cyberjihad against the enemies of Islamic State."

Manuel Valls, the prime minister, condemned the cyber attack. On his Twitter account, he called it "an unacceptable attack on the freedom of information and expression", and offered "total support" to the editorial staff.

The cyber attack comes amid heightened security across France as the government tries to combat Islamist extremism following the January terrorist attacks.

More than 1,500 French nationals have left France to join the militants' ranks in Iraq and Syria, where they represent almost half the number of European fighters present, according to a report released on Wednesday by the French Senate.

© The Financial Times Limited 2015. All rights reserved.
FT and Financial Times are trademarks of the Financial Times Ltd.
Not to be redistributed, copied or modified in any way.
Euro2day.gr is solely responsible for providing this translation and the Financial Times Limited does not accept any liability for the accuracy or quality of the translation