Bahrain websites attacked as it holds parliamentary election

Bahrain says hackers have targeted government websites in the island kingdom amid its parliamentary election

Bahrain voted Saturday in a parliamentary and local election just hours after hackers targeted government websites in the island kingdom that is in the midst of a decade-long crackdown on dissent.

The Interior Ministry did not identify the websites targeted, but the country's state-run Bahrain News Agency could not be reached online nor could the website for Bahrain's parliament. Bahrain’s election website could not be accessed from abroad for several hours, though it and the news agency’s website later were restored.

“Websites are being targeted to hinder the elections and circulate negative messages in desperate attempts that won’t affect the determination of citizens who will go to the polling stations,” the Interior Ministry said.

Screenshots taken by internet users showed a picture after the hack claiming it was carried out by a previously unknown account called Al-Toufan, or “The Flood" in Arabic. Social media accounts associated with Al-Toufan said the group targeted the parliament's website “due to the persecution carried out by the Bahraini authorities, and in implementation of the popular will to boycott the sham elections.”

The account claimed Saturday afternoon it took down another government website, which wasn't reachable from abroad.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Bahrain said it had been the target of a “state-backed cyberattack in an attempt to derail the electoral process.” It did not name the state it believed carried out the attack.

“All systems are operational, and the voting process has not been affected,” it added.