Qatar News Agency

Qatar News Agency (Wakalat Al Anba Al Qatariya) is a state-run Qatari news agency.

Qatar News Agency was established by a decree issued on 25 May 1975. It is attached to the Ministry of Information. The former parent ministry was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The headquarters of the agency is in Doha.

The agency provides news in Arabic and English. It has also Spanish and Portuguese news services.

On 24 May Qatar stated that the website was hacked by an unknown source and that fake stories on sensitive issues were published before the site went offline. Subsequently Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates blocked Qatari media, including broadcaster Al Jazeera. On 5 June Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain, and Maldives severed their relations with Qatar accusing it of supporting terrorism.

According to Qatar-based Al Jazeera, hackers posted fake remarks on the official Qatar News Agency attributed to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, that expressed support for Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel. The emir was quoted as saying: “Iran represents a regional and Islamic power that cannot be ignored and it is unwise to face up against it. It is a big power in the stabilization of the region.” Qatar reported that the statements were false and did not know their origin. Despite this, the remarks were widely publicized in the various Arab news media, including UAE-based Sky News Arabia and Al Arabiya. On 3 June 2017, the Twitter account of Bahraini foreign minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa was hacked.