Jordan News Agency "Petra" stated that it was surprised by a false story that was attributed to it and carried by some media outlets and social media reporting that it aired a story regarding Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense; that it later deleted it; and that this was completely untrue. The agency said in a statement on its website: In response to what has been published by some media outlets as well as the social media regarding news that were attributed to Jordan News Agency (Petra), we would like to clarify the following: A technical failure on Petra 's website occurred for a few minutes on Sunday evening, June 12, 2016. Protection systems at the agency as well as the technical department noticed that and therefore, they suspended the transmission system and the electronic site and moved to the alternative website. Later, it became clear that the technical failure that occurred was an attempt to hack the agency's transmission system and its website. The Agency was surprised to see some media outlets as well as the social media publishing false news that were attributed to Petra . They said that Petra transmitted a news item related to the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and later deleted this news item. This is totally false and untrue. Jordan News Agency ( Petra ) affirms its full commitment to the policy of the Jordanian state, its constant national stands, its professionalism and ethical criteria. Petra's technical department, in cooperation with concerned security authorities are currently investigating attempts to hack the agency's system.
