US Marines website hacked by pro-Syria hackers

WASHINGTON - Pro-Syria hackers on Monday broke into the Internet recruiting site for the US Marine Corps, posting a message urging US soldiers to refuse orders if Washington decides to attack Syria.

The site, www.marines.com, was paralyzed for several hours and redirected to a seven-sentence message "delivered by SEA", which is short for the Syrian Electronic Army, a hack group that claimed responsibility for disrupting the New York Times, social website Twitter and other media websites.

The hackers also posted six pictures showing people holding hand-written messages, including one that read "I will not fight for Al-Qaeda in Syria," referring to the rebels fighting government troops in Syria.

The SEA appealed to US troops, saying that the Syrian Army is their ally rather than an enemy in fighting the common enemy of terrorism.

US Marine Corps spokesman Eric Flanagan said no information was put at risk in this hacking. The recruiting site is on a commercial network rather than the Pentagon's network.

The US government has decided to launch a limited strike on Syria to punish Damascus for the alleged use of chemical weapons on August 21, which the United States claims killed 1,429 people, including 426 children. But President Barack Obama said he will seek Congressional authorization before going ahead with the military action.

The Obama administration has started a campaign to lobby US Congress to give the green light to the military strike against Syria. The Congress is expected to hold a heated debate and a vote on the authorization of use of force when it returns from summer recess on September 9.