It’s all fun and games — at least until the Secret Service get involved.
A series of tweets from the Fox News politics Twitter account announced some “breaking news” very early in the morning of July 4th: President Barack Obama had been assassinated, with Vice-President Joe Biden set to take his place immediately.
(MORE: ‘Obama Dead’ Hoax Sweeps Twitter After Fox News Feed Hack)
“[Two] gunshot wounds have proved too much,” read one of the Tweets. “It’s a sad 4th for #America.”
Of course, president Barack Obama is very much alive and well, and the hoax follows an earlier hack claimed by a smaller upstart group calling themselves the Script Kiddies (who claim to affiliate loosely with Anonymous).
In an exclusive interview with SUNY Stony Brook’s student-run Think magazine, a reported member of the Script Kiddies states they chose Fox News because “we figured their security would be just as much of a joke as their reporting.” The group claimed responsibility for initial hacks on the Fox Twitter feed — which were far more harmless — and it’s unclear if they’re actually responsible for the Obama posts, which were sent after all the Script Kiddies’ involvement was “scrubbed off” the Fox account.
“The names change from time to time like LulzSec and Anonymous or Script Kiddies,” says the unnamed member. “But there will always be a group of people that need to stand up for everyone else and attempt to keep the government in balance with its people. Without groups like Anonymous, what is there to prevent corruption?”
Following the hacks, the Secret Service said on Monday that it will conduct an investigation to look into the source of the attacks. Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie said in an interview with the AP, “We will conduct the appropriate follow up.”
Per the Secret Service’s official website, its goal is to “safeguard the nation’s financial infrastructure and payment systems to preserve the integrity of the economy, and to protect national leaders, visiting heads of state and government, designated sites and National Special Security Events.”
(via LA Times)
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Chris Gayomali is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @chrigz. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.