The Times is investigating the cause of widespread issues with its website, which occurred hours after it published an exclusive story about a teenage Isis bride who now wishes to return to Britain.
A spokesperson for the newspaper told HuffPost UK that a hack could not be discounted after its website and app became inaccessible for several hours on Thursday morning. The website appeared to return to normal just after 10am.
Shamima Begum, who travelled to the Islamic State’s Caliphate from east London in 2015, was tracked down by a Times reporter to a refugee camp in northern Syria where she is now 19-years-old, the bride of an Isis fighter, and nine months pregnant.
The newspaper splashed its interview with Begum, in which she criticises Isis, under the headline: “Bring me back home”.
Pro-Isis hacking groups have in the past been blamed for attacks on local government websites in the United States.
A statement from The Times, posted on Twitter, said: “We are experiencing problems with our smartphone app and website. We are investigating and hope to resume normal service as soon as possible.”