Tanzania's police X account hacked, announces President Samia's 'death'

Tanzania's police X account has been hacked to publish a hoax post on the death of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Police said the “false and misleading post”, which has since been pulled down, was published on their account by an external party. The authorities have not named any suspects.

The YouTube channel of the Tanzania Revenue Authority was also targeted, according to Tanzanian news outlets, raising fears of a coordinated cyberattack on government institutions.

However, the authorities have assured that the situation was brought under control.

The attack came amid an increasingly tense political atmosphere in the East African country, which is due to hold elections later this year.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan came to power in 2021 after the death of her predecessor John Magafuli. She was his deputy.

There have been speculations that she will contest in the forthcoming elections, but she has not publicly declared her intention to do so.