Newsmaker

Facebook hacker fakes Sarkozy announcement

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-01-24 19:34

PARIS - A hacker took over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Facebook account and issued a fake message that he would not run for re-election in 2012, local media reported on Monday, hours before the president was due to outline the agenda of France's G20 presidency.

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (R) and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy arrive to visit the renovation site of the galleries in the Grand Palais exhibition hall in Paris Jan 19, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

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"Taking into account exceptional circumstances facing our country, I decided in my soul and conscience not to represent myself after my first term in 2012," the message posted on his Facebook account said.

Before the president's office managed to erase the fake information and reclaim the account in 15 minutes, 123 people have registered as visitors of the page, according to French daily Le Monde.

Hours after the message was posted around 9 pm (2000 GMT) Sunday, the president said his account was hacked and recognized "no system is infallible," adding that he does not "subscribe to the conclusion of this message a little bit hasty."

On Monday, Sarkozy will spell out his plans for reforming the international monetary system in a keynote speech on France's year-long G20 presidency. After the address, he is expected to answer questions for more than an hour.

Sarkozy has not publicly announced his bid for the May 2012 election, but local reports said he had revealed his intention to run for a second term at an in-house meeting with partisan proponents after the victory of pension reform.