5 detained in Turkey in connection with Qatar hacking

Turkey has arrested five people suspected of hacking the official Qatari news agency earlier this year, a Qatari prosecutor said on Friday.

Five people suspected of being involved in the hacking of the Qatar News Agency were detained in Turkey, the chief prosecutor said.

Prosecutor Ali al-Marri told reporters that Qatar asked Turkey's and other ally countries' help following the hacking in May when pro-Iran statements attributed to the ruler of Qatar were published by state news agency QNA, triggering the region's current diplomatic crisis.

The statements were quickly taken down. Qatar said the site was hacked, and opened an investigation into it.

"Our friends in Turkey answered us a short time ago. Five people were detained and they are being investigated. Qatari prosecutors are working with Turkish authorities to follow this case," he added after meeting Turkish Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül in Ankara.

Iran is Saudi Arabia's regional rival, and the comments prompted angry reactions in Riyadh and other Gulf capitals.

Shortly after, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

Qatar, which denied the accusation, said it will restore full diplomatic relations with Iran, snubbing demands by the quartet that Doha cuts ties with Tehran before they ease the blockade.