German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s official X handle was supposedly hacked and edited to look like the official Water Resources Department of Bihar. The German government hasn’t made an official statement regarding the incident, but reports indicate that hackers edited the account to look like a verified page of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party beforehand.
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The breach was initially realized by X users after the account’s username had been modified to @adolf_gov, whose description had been altered to “Make Germany Great Again”, a phrase coined after former US President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan. The bio went on to read “Decentralisation is what will help me to implement my plans.”
The X-authenticated BRICS News account reported the hacking, uploading a shot of the German president’s handle prior to alteration. In this case, the handle had kept its initial nickname, @FrankWalterGER, but a new caption replaced the earlier one.
In aftermath of popular buzz, the handle was suspended briefly before the resumption as a Bihar Water Resources Department’s account, yet retaining the unchanged handle.
Hackers also posted a photo of Adolf Hitler standing next to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, captioned: “Remember: when you stand together, when your goal is the same, when your spirit is unshakable, nothing can stop you. #MGGA,” an apparent stand-in for “Make Germany Great Again.” The post has been taken down.
Ever since the hacking episode, the account has witnessed an influx of followers, which increased from 57,000 to 59.9 thousand. The hackers’ identities and intentions are yet to be determined.
