Newsweek’s Twitter account was apparently hacked by Islamist extremist sympathizers, with a disturbing threat tweeted at first lady Michelle Obama and the first family.
“Bloody Valentine’s Day #MichelleObama! We’re watching you, you girls and your husband! #CyberCaliphate,” the tweet read.
Cyber Caliphate is the digital name adopted by a group of hackers supporting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
It was the same name used by hackers that infiltrated the U.S. Central Command’s Twitter and YouTube accounts in January.
The Newsweek tweet has since been deleted and the company has not yet confirmed it was indeed hacked.
Military spouses were also hit by pro-ISIS hackers on Tuesday.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said on Tuesday that he did not have any response to the threat made against the first family, but that as a general matter, the Twitter hack bolstered the White House’s case for new cybersecurity legislation.
“There are some common-sense things that we can do to better protect the American people and their data and better respond to these incidents when they occur,” Earnest sad.
–Justin Sink contributed to this report, which was updated at 2:02 p.m.