Pak diplomatic missions in US hit by fake twitter accounts

Pakistan's missions in Washington and New York were targeted by fake twitter accounts which alleged that the two consulates were raided by US law enforcement agencies.

Washington, Dec 1: Pakistan's missions in Washington and New York were targeted by fake twitter accounts which alleged that the two consulates were raided by US law enforcement agencies in connection with the Ohio terror attack by a Somalian refugee who had reportedly lived in Pakistan.

The two twitter accounts, in particularly Pakistan Embassy UN (@PakEmbassyUN) appeared that it was being handled personally by Maleeha Lodhi, the Pakistani Ambassador to the UN.

In the fake tweet, Lodhi alleged that the Ohio Police, a day earlier raided the Pakistani Embassy in Washington in connection with the terrorist attack carried by Abdul Razak Ali Artan.

Artan, a Somalian refugee who reportedly lived in Pakistan for a few years before coming to the US, injured as many as 11 people early this week before he was shot and killed by the Ohio Police.

In this fake account Lodhi alleged that the federal police is now raiding the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN in New York. "Shame that after Ohio Police raid yesterday on Pakistan Embassy, Washington DC their Twitter account is also suspended by FBI.

#OhioStateAttack," the fake twitter account said. "Federal police have confiscated some documents of our Embassy in New York regarding #OhioStateAttack," said the second tweet from the same account.

"We have bent our flag at Embassy as a protest to the raid regarding #OhioStateAttack. Embassy in New York will remain closed today," said another tweet, which had a picture of Lodhi. Later in the day, both the Pak Embassy in Washington and its Permanent Mission to the UN in New York issued statements, saying that these are fake accounts and have taken up the matter with Twitter.

PTI