Tanzania president falsely declared dead in police account hack
Tanzania’s national police force has suffered a cyberattack after its official account on X, formerly Twitter, was hacked on May 20.
The hackers used the platform to share false information, including a post wrongly announcing the death of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The compromised account, followed by nearly 470,000 users, is normally used by police to update the public on crime, arrests and other official work.
The said page was briefly taken over by unknown attackers who posted misleading messages and launched a live broadcast.
The account had not shared any new updates since Saturday, May 17, before the incident took place. It is not clear who was behind the hack or how long they had access to the page.
Meanwhile, the police have issued a statement indicating a search for persons who hacked the page and spread false information.
"Police are looking for those who spread misrepresentative information on Twitter," parts of the statement said.
The incident happened as tensions rose between the government and opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is currently on trial for treason.
The case has attracted international attention, with several foreign human rights activists attempting to attend the proceedings.
On May 19, President Suluhu criticised what she called foreign interference.
In a televised speech during the launch of a new foreign policy document, she warned regional activists not to meddle in the country’s affairs.
She confirmed that several activists from Kenya had been blocked from entering Tanzania and sent back to Nairobi.
“They have already destabilised their countries,” the president said. “Let us not allow them to do the same here. Tanzania is still peaceful and we intend to keep it that way,” she was quoted by local reports as saying.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the cyberattack on the police account is connected to the ongoing political tensions.
