UK Police Investigate Cyber Attack Involving Anti-Islam Messages

British police stated today, Thursday, that they have opened an investigation into a cyber-attack after passengers at major train stations across the country saw an anti-Islam message while attempting to use Wi-Fi services, amid fears of a resurgence of anti-Muslim violence across the country.

The Wi-Fi system managed by telecommunications group Telent was quickly disabled after passengers reported seeing a message referencing terrorist attacks.

The British Transport Police said, “We received reports on Wednesday about a cyber-attack displaying anti-Islam messages on some Wi-Fi services provided by Network Rail,” referring to the name of the rail operating company in the UK.

Tensions in Britain have escalated during the summer due to a wave of anti-Muslim riots across the country following the murder of three girls, an incident that was initially falsely attributed to a Muslim immigrant after misleading information circulated online.

The police stated that they are working with Network Rail “at a rapid pace” to investigate the incident of the racist cyber-attack. Telent confirmed in a statement that the breach did not affect any personal data, adding that the matter is now in the hands of the police. They noted that an unauthorized change had been made to the landing page of the Network Rail website, operated by Global Reach from a legitimate account of one of the site’s managers.

Since the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, last year, hate crimes against Muslims in the UK have increased, manifesting in attacks, vandalism, and insults.

Many cities and towns witnessed some of the worst violence in England since the summer of 2011 at the beginning of August, when large-scale riots erupted following the police killing of a man in North London.

Rioters targeted mosques and asylum centers, spreading fear among ethnic minority groups and highlighting the UK’s record on integration. The British Home Office announced at the time that emergency security protection would be provided for Islamic places of worship.

Keir Starmer’s government faces difficulties in handling the tensions that have gripped the UK for months. While Starmer believes he has successfully managed the crisis by adopting a tough stance on law and order, he continues to face criticism for not adequately supporting the Muslim community.