Al-Qaeda says website back online after 'cyber attack' by 'enemies of Allah'

Washington, Apr 5 (ANI): One of Al-Qaeda's main Internet websites is reportedly back online after a lengthy blackout, which according to analysts was result of a cyber attack.

The outage extended to five other online forums associated with the terror group, most of which have been dark for at least a week and a half.

Shumukh al-Islam, regarded as one Al-Qaeda's two main sites, returned on Wednesday after it went down March 22 and stayed offline for most of the past 13 days.

On returning, the website was accompanied by a message stating that "the enemies of Allah attempted to target" the forum "with a failed, miserable campaign," The Washington Post reports.

According to a translation by Flashpoint Global Partners, which tracks jihadi web sites, the message, posted by someone with administrative access to the site, said that in return, "dozens of forums instead of just one" would arise.

Five other sites, including al-Fida', al-Qaeda's other main forum, were still offline on Wednesday.

Analysts have speculated that the administrators of the sites might have taken them down if they suspected that the forums had been infiltrated by foreign spies.

Evan Kohlmann, senior partner at Flashpoint, however, said the message on Shumukh suggested that the outage was "at least partly an aggressive attack."

Meanwhile, US officials have said that no American agency, including the military's Cyber Command, was behind the attack. (ANI)