Brussels: Iran is probably behind the cyber attacks on the cooling systems of Belgian stores.
The Minister of the Interior of Belgium says that the evidence obtained from the investigations of the country's security institutions shows that Iran may be behind the recent cyber attacks on the cooling systems of several large chain stores in Belgium.
Bernard Canton said on Thursday in the Belgian Parliament: "Based on the reliable evidence obtained by our institutions, Iran could probably be responsible for the attacks on the cooling systems of several large chain stores; as happened in France.
However, he stressed that he wanted to be "cautious" diplomatically and had not yet officially identified Iran as responsible for these attacks.
On November 2, dozens of supermarkets in Belgium reported malfunctions in their refrigeration systems, forcing some stores to throw away food. Similar problems have been reported in stores in Estonia, Finland, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
France previously held the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for a similar cyber attack three weeks ago and called for more EU sanctions against Iran.
Belgium's interior minister described the cyberattack as an act of "destabilization," but the country's foreign minister, Maxim Provo, said it was too early to officially attribute the attack to Iran.
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office also announced that the investigation continues as a top priority and cannot comment at this stage on the details of the attack or its possible motive.