Dozens of pro-independence accounts go dark after Israeli strikes on Iran

Responding to reports in the UK Defence Journal that dozens of anonymous X accounts advocating Scottish independence abruptly went silent after Israeli strikes on Iran, leading to suggestions that they were part of an Iranian bot network, Liberal Democrat Scottish Affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said:

“It looks like it might have been Iran putting the cyber in cybernat. The nationalists like to claim that they are a grassroots movement, but these accounts seem to have been more autocrat than Alba.

“I would be interested to know how often these accounts were shared and interacted with by members of the Scottish Government and the SNP.

“This should serve as a reminder that hostile regimes think that the breakup of the UK would be in their best interests.

“It is also a reminder to be sceptical and not to trust everything you read online.”