Hackers broke into an official Twitter account operated by Fox News early yesterday and posted a series of tweets that claimed President Barack Obama had been assassinated.
The Twitter feed for Fox News' political news - FoxNewspolitics - sent out a series of "malicious and false tweets", starting around 2am local time (4pm AEDT), Fox News confirmed in a statement. The posts had not been taken down hours later.
"BarackObama has just passed. The President is dead. A sad 4th of July, indeed. President Barack Obama is dead," read the first of the Obama-related tweets.
Just before false posts began, the hackers apparently announced their control to the account, with the post: "Just regained full access to our Twitter and email. Happy 4th."
The updates, which were "retweeted" by thousands on the micro-blogging site and prompted headlines across the world, said Obama had been "shot twice at a Ross' restaurant in Iowa" during a campaign spot.
The US leader is in fact in Washington, not Iowa, and was planning to celebrate the July 4 holiday with his family and military families.
"President BarackObama assassinated, 2 gunshot wounds have proved too much. It's a sad 4th for america. obamadead RIP," continued the tweets.
Fox News said the hacking was being investigated, and that it "regrets any distress the false tweets may have created".
The Twitter feed for Fox News' political news - FoxNewspolitics - sent out a series of "malicious and false tweets", starting around 2am local time (4pm AEDT), Fox News confirmed in a statement. The posts had not been taken down hours later.
"BarackObama has just passed. The President is dead. A sad 4th of July, indeed. President Barack Obama is dead," read the first of the Obama-related tweets.
Just before false posts began, the hackers apparently announced their control to the account, with the post: "Just regained full access to our Twitter and email. Happy 4th."
The updates, which were "retweeted" by thousands on the micro-blogging site and prompted headlines across the world, said Obama had been "shot twice at a Ross' restaurant in Iowa" during a campaign spot.
"President BarackObama assassinated, 2 gunshot wounds have proved too much. It's a sad 4th for america. obamadead RIP," continued the tweets.
Fox News said the hacking was being investigated, and that it "regrets any distress the false tweets may have created".
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