NBC News Twitter Hacked by ‘The Script Kiddies’: Falsely Claim Ground Zero Attack

A collective hacker group dubbed "The Script Kiddies" broke into the Twitter account of NBC News Friday, sending out a series of false tweets about a suspected hijacking and a plane attack at ground zero just days before the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

According to AP, staffers noticed the false tweets at around 6 p.m. Eastern time Friday, contacted Twitter and shortly after had the network's account suspended.

Host Brian Williams then read a statement on air saying the reports were false.

By around 7 p.m. Eastern, NBC's Twitter account was reinstated and the false tweets removed. NBC is reportedly contacting authorities including the New York Police Department and FBI about the incident.

The Script Kiddies were previously known for posting a false Obama assassination report on the FOX News Twitter.

NBC News issued a statement: "The NBC News twitter account was hacked late this afternoon and as a result, false reports of a plane attack on ground zero were sent to @NBCNews followers. We are working with Twitter to correct the situation and sincerely apologize for the scare that could have been caused by such a reckless and irresponsible act."

Below is the NBC Twitter feed captured from the hacking:

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  NBCNEWS hacked by The Script Kiddies. Follow them at @s_kiddies!

  

  NBCNewsSeptember 9, 2011 at 17:55

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  Flight 4782 is not responding, suspected hijacking. One plane just hit Ground Zero site at 5:47. #groundzeroattacked

  

  NBCNewsSeptember 9, 2011 at 17:52

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  Breaking News! Ground Zero has just been attacked. Flight 5736 has crashed into the site, suspected hijacking. more as the story develops.

  

  NBCNewsSeptember 9, 2011 at 17:48