BELGIAN POLICE HAVE launched an investigation after Irish MEP Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan claimed his Twitter account was hacked last week. 

Flanagan’s account tweeted at 2.50am on Monday morning: “Sapirse [sic] mchugh photo skinny dipping”.

The former TD has since claimed that his account was ‘compromised’. 

In a statement this afternoon, Flanagan said he has contacted Belgian police who are now probing the incident. 

He said that his account was logged into a third-party app called Tweetcaster which he said allowed an individual tweet from his account by using an old password. He said that the person who did this logged in from Belgium. Flanagan himself has been at home in Ireland since March due to Covid-19. 

The statement reads: “A parliamentary assistant of mine along with an appointed investigator from DG SAFE met with the Belgian Police on Wednesday morning.

“I have now established that my Twitter account had been logged into on a third-party app called Tweetcaster. This app allowed an individual to tweet from my account using an old password. 

“This app was used twice to access my Twitter account from Belgium on September 28, the same day that an unauthorised tweet was posted and then deleted from my account.

“At the time the tweet was posted and then deleted, I was in Ireland and have been since March of this year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“The police have been provided with the Belgian IP address associated with the use of my account on the Tweetcaster app on that day. They are now working with me to establish the exact location and identity of the individual who has carried out this malicious act of vandalism on my good name.”