An Indian hacking group targeted Qatar FIFA World Cup critics.
The allegations are "patently false and without merit," according to Qatari authorities. The alleged mastermind, a 31-year-old employee of an accounting firm, denied the Sunday Times claims.
London:
An Indian hacking gang targeted critics of the Qatar World Cup, according to a British journalist investigation, as the Qatari government furiously denied any involvement in the eavesdropping, according to news agency AFP.
A database leaked to the Sunday Times and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in the United Kingdom revealed the hacking of a dozen lawyers, journalists, and celebrities in 2019 "commissioned by one specific client," the newspaper and the bureau said in a statement.
"This investigation strongly suggests that this client is the host of (the) World Cup: Qatar," it said, prompting Qatari authorities to call the claim "patently false and without merit."
Michel Platini, the former head of European football, was among those targeted.
The report "surprised and deeply shocked" Platini, who has hacked ahead of talks with French police about World Cup-related graft allegations.
He stated that he would pursue all legal options in response to what appeared to be a serious "violation" of his privacy.
According to the Sunday Times report based on the joint investigation, London-based consultant Ghanem Nuseibeh, whose company Cornerstone produced an essay on corruption related to the World Cup, was also targeted.
Others included Nathalie Goulet, a French senator who has been a vocal critic of Qatar for allegedly financing "Islamic terrorism," and Mark Somos, a lawyer based in Germany who has filed a complaint against the Qatari royal family with the United Nations Human Rights Council.
- Over 100 targeted -
The row erupts just two weeks before the World Cup begins on November 20 in the conservative Gulf state.
The hacking was allegedly masterminded by a 31-year-old accountancy firm employee, who denies the allegations.
Based in Gurugram, his network of computer hackers allegedly used "phishing" techniques to gain access to their targets' email inboxes and malicious software to take control of their computer cameras and microphones.
However, hacking attacks were not limited to those with an interest in the Qatar World Cup.
According to the report, the gang targeted more than 100 victims' private email accounts "on behalf of investigators working for autocratic states, British lawyers, and their wealthy clients."
Politicians dealing with Russia-related issues, such as Britain's former finance minister Philip Hammond, were among them.
He was targeted while dealing with the fallout from the 2018 Novichok attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal, which the UK blamed on Russia.
The Swiss president and his deputy were also targeted, just days after the president met with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss Russian sanctions.
- 'No evidence -
A Qatari official dismissed the allegations, calling the Bureau of Investigative Journalism's (TBIJ) report "littered with glaring inconsistencies and falsehoods that undermine their organization's credibility."
"The report relies on a single source who claims his ultimate client was Qatar, despite the lack of evidence to support that claim," the official said in a statement to AFP.
"Numerous companies have also boasted of non-existent ties to Qatar in an effort to raise their profile ahead of the World Cup."
"TBIJ's decision to publish the report without a single piece of credible evidence linking their allegations to Qatar raises serious concerns about their motives," the official added.
