Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Photo credit: Twitter
Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr. is the latest conservative media personality and Trump supporter to have his Twitter account hacked by the Turkish cyber group Ayyıldız Tim. The pro-Erdogan collective has taken over a variety of prominent accounts, changing their photos and username — which results in the loss of the verified checkmark — while posting pro-Turkey messages and claiming to obtain contents of the victims' direct messages.
Why it matters: The right-leaning Twitter accounts appear to have been targeted due to their proximity to President Trump, as the hackers have messages critical of American foreign policy toward Turkey. In some cases, Ayyıldız Tim have used their control of accounts followed by Trump's famous @realDonaldTrump account to send direct messages straight to his inbox.
The other conservative media personalities targeted:
- Fox News' Eric Bolling
- Fox News' Britt Hume
- Greta Van Susteren, whose account was used to direct message Trump
Others targeted by the group:
- Syed Akbaruddin, the Indian representative to the United Nations; used to tweet pro-Pakistan messages
- Børge Brenda, president of the World Economic Forum
- Klaus Brinkbäumer, editor-in-chief of Der Spiegel; used to criticize Der Spiegel's reporting on Turkey and Erdogan
- Dore Gold, former Israeli diplomat and aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; used to criticize Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital
- Clyde Haberman, New York Times reporter
- Sevan Nişanyan, Turkish-Armenian intellectual; mocked him fleeing Turkey after imprisonment
- Guy Verhofstadt, former Belgian prime minister and current leader of the European Parliament's liberal coalition; used to “protest against the extreme racist attitude of Belgium and the Netherlands against Turkey and Muslims”