Premium

Former cricketer Darren Lehmann’s Twitter account hacked, spews anti-Iran propaganda

Darren Lehmann's official Twitter account was used by a hacker to spread propaganda about the ongoing USA-Iran crisis after the death of Iran general Qaseem Soleimani.

Darren Lehmann’s account was hacked late in the afternoon.

Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann’s official Twitter account appeared to have been hacked with the profile picture being changed and a series of tweets regarding the ongoing tensions between Iran and the US.

Lehmann, who is presently head coach of Big Bash League franchise Brisbane Heat, last used his Twitter account to retweet his former teammate Shane Warne’s post about raising funds for the bushfires in Australia.

The hacker used the 49-year-old former Australia player’s account first on 4:09 PM (IST) to post a picture about the situation between the US and Iran after the killing of top Iranian general Qassim Soleimani on Friday.

(Screengrab)

Soleimani was killed in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport on Friday, which was later revealed as the work of US forces under the orders of US President Donald Trump.

The account went on to post various links to clips on YouTube, Discord, and Soundcloud.

(Screengrab)

Screengrab

Later on, the hacked account posted a tweet that claimed to reveal the hacker’s identity.

Brisbane Heat’s official Twitter account later on posted a tweet apologising for “any offence caused” in the evening due to the activity from their coach’s hacked account.

Hi Heat fans, thanks for the messages. We are aware our coach Darren Lehmann’s Twitter account has been hacked and are working closely with Twitter to rectify the situation. We apologise for any offence caused this evening.#BBL09

— Brisbane Heat (@HeatBBL) January 6, 2020

Around 5 PM (IST), all of the tweets from Lehmann’s handle were deleted and activity on it appeared to have been blocked, although the account remains active.

Subscriber Only Stories

View All

Delhi Confidential: Collecting Memories

UPSC Key- January 31, 2023: Know about Capital Expenditure, Water Diploma...

Economic Survey 2023: Here are the key takeaways

Delhi Confidential: Attorney, always

Apply New Year promo code SD25

Lehmann played for Australia for more than a decade and won World Cups in 1999 and 2003. His first coaching stint was with Deccan Chargers in IPL in 2009, and he led the Aussies to their fifth World Cup win in 2015, but stepped down from the post following the ball-tampering controversy in 2018.

First published on: 06-01-2020 at 17:44 IST