NEWTON Abbot Town Council’s website has been hacked by a mystery group calling itself Black Team X.

Logging on to the site today (mon) throws up a stark message on screen which proclaims ‘Sahara is Moroccan.’

The computer bandits also announce: ‘Free Gaza. Free Palestine.’

They reveal themselves with the headline: ‘Hacked by Black TeamX’ and sign off with ‘M.A.S.T.E.A.M Zentak was here!’

The sinister artwork, in red, black and white, features a robotic death-head character which resembles the nuclear hazard logo.

The group was behind a similar stunt earlier this summer when they infiltrated the South African Presidency website.

A spokesman for leader Cyril Ramaphosa later revealed that the culprits were unknown to the government.

The site was disabled.

Newton Abbot town clerk Phil Rowe said a council IT support team was ‘on the case’ this morning.

‘We are aware of the matter. We have Cloud Flare which is the best level of security you can have,’ he said this afternoon.

‘It’s a bit of pain,’ he added.