Sports

Hackers in Russia claim to shut down African Cup website

Hackers in Russia claim to shut down African Cup website

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba (right) visits Stade de l'Amitie, ahead of the opening ceremony and group A soccer matches between Gabon and Guinea Bissau at the Africa Nations Cup in Libreville, Gabon Friday Jan. 13, 2017. Photo: AP

LIBREVILLE: A group of hackers in Russia say they have shut down the website of the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament in protest for holding it in Gabon, where President Ali Bongo Ondimba retained power in disputed and violent elections last year. A person sent an email to The Associated Press on Saturday claiming the group New World Hackers had 'taken down' the website. The site CAFonline.com was not working at the time. African soccer officials couldn't immediately confirm if their website had been hacked. 'We did this in protest against Gabon,' the person claiming to be one of the hackers wrote in an email. 'They are running the Africa Cup in a country where the dictator Ali Bongo is killing innocent people!'