Multiple Twitter accounts were hacked Wednesday to include tweets branding the Netherlands and Germany as “Nazi” and disseminating pro-Turkish government messages.
The messages, in Turkish, are part of an escalation of tensions between Turkey and Europe ahead of a Turkish referendum on expanding presidential powers.
Using the hashtags #Nazialmanya (NaziGermany) or #Nazihollanda (NaziHolland), hackers infiltrated hundreds of accounts of politicians, high-profile CEOs, publishers, government agencies and NGOs.
Some of the accounts hacked include news organizations Die Welt and BBC North America as well as French politician Alain Juppe, the account of the European Parliament, and non-government organizations, including Amnesty International.
According to Twitter, the hacked accounts have all been recovered.
The pro-Turkey tweets began with a swastika and linked to a YouTube video entitled “Nazi Germany, Nazi Holland, see you April 16th” – the date of the Turkish referendum.
The hacks Wednesday coincided with Dutch parliamentary elections.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly called the Dutch government “Nazis” for preventing two of his Cabinet ministers from speaking at a rally in The Netherlands for ethnic Turks in support of the Turkish referendum.
Turkey has also suspended high-level ties with The Netherlands as part of a package of sanctions to protest Dutch actions. The measures also include banning the Dutch ambassador, who is currently out of the country, from returning to Turkey and suspending diplomatic flights.
…