Saudi Defense Ministry Site Hacked After Shiite Cleric’s Execution

A group of young Saudi hackers took down the Saudi Defense Ministry’s website in protest over the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

The Sunday night cyberattack was carried out by a group of young Saudis called “Brave Youth Fighting Religious Taboos” and remained inaccessible for several hours.

The hackers said their attack on the Saudi Defense Ministry's website was meant as retribution for the execution of Sheikh Nimr by the Riyadh government.

"We will continue defending the religious sanctities and also targeting the enemies and oppressors involved in the killing of the freedom-seekers and revolutionaries," the hackers said in a statement issued after hacking the website.

In May the Saudi Foreign Ministry’s internal Internet network came under a similar cyberattack, which disclosed over 1 million secret and classified documents of the Saudi government.

Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and dozens of al-Qaeda members on Saturday. Hours later Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran as Shiite Muslims in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Bahrain angrily condemned the executions.