Washington, DC. Not content to simply let the matter of Russian interference die a quiet death amongst American spoon fed media consumers, American media came out with both guns blazing as it now says Russia is also behind the Qatar-Saudi diplomatic mess, another “Putin did it” production with a twist; it is entirely one made in the USA.
In moves that will not surprise Moscow, US intelligence officials now believe Russian hackers planted the false news story that prompted Saudi Arabia and several allies to sever relations with Qatar, according to multiple main stream media American sources.
Amazingly FBI experts visited Qatar in late May to analyse an alleged cyber breach that saw the Russian hackers place the fake story with Qatar’s state news agency, the reports allege. Then right after the FBI guys left, in another amazing coincedence, the story ended up causing a near war in the region.
Saudi Arabia then cited the false report as part of its reason for instituting a diplomatic and economic blockade of Qatar, the report said. The blockade was joined by several other Gulf states and has spiralled into the worst diplomatic crisis for the region in decades.
Qatar’s government said the 23 May news report attributed false remarks to the emirate’s ruler that appeared friendly to Iran and Israel, and questioned whether the US president, Donald Trump, would last in office. The Qatari foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, told the broadcaster that the FBI had confirmed the hack and the planting of fake news by the fake, er “Russian hackers.”
“Whatever has been thrown as an accusation is all based on misinformation and we think that the entire crisis is being based on misinformation,” he said. “It was started based on fabricated news, being wedged and being inserted in our national news agency, which was hacked and proved by the FBI.”
Of course it never dawned on al-Thani that if the FBI agents were there from the begining of the incident and then “discovered” the incident, then is it not possible they were the cause of the whole provocation and not the imaginary “Russian hackers” working late intio the night from the Kremlin basement?
If accurate, the allegations would indicate Russian efforts to undermine US foreign policy, building on US intelligence concerns that Russian hackers attempted to influence last year’s presidential election, won by Trump. The Kremlin denies any such action. And as we just showed, the sword of responsibility do cut in two directions, now don’t it?