POLITICIANS sanctioned by China have suffered a crippling cyber attack just days after being hammered by Beijing, Trending In The News can reveal.
A group of MPs and Lords campaigning for tougher global action against the Communist superpower were hit by an attack on their website’s server – now being probed by spooks.
IPAC, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, saw their website taken offline on Monday evening in a mysterious digital blitzkrieg.
The group includes ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and former minister Nusrat Ghani – who were both slapped with personal sanctions by Beijing last week.
Now IPAC have turned to GCHQ’s National Cyber Security arm to boost their online protection.
The culprits have yet to be identified but key figures in the group have pointed the finger firmly at Beijing-backing hackers and vow they will not be silenced.
Relations between Britain and China sunk to a new low last week after the Eastern powerhouse banned a number of critical MPs and peers from entering the country.
Their crime is accusing the Communist regime of genocide against the Muslim Uighur population in Xinjiang.
Beijing retaliated after Britain, the US, Canada and the EU introduced restrictions on Monday on Chinese officials responsible for abuses in the province.
Last night IPAC’s coordinator Luke de Pulford told Trending In The News: “This isn’t the first time we have been attacked.
“But – while Beijing’s mysterious supporters might be able to knock us off the internet for a few hours – nothing will stop our members standing up for the Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, and everyone else oppressed by China.”
Last night the National Cyber Security Centre said: “We understand the website is now running as normal.
“We are working to fully understand the nature of this incident and have offered technical support.”
