Hackers deface website of Saudi investment forum

A website for a Saudi investment summit was down on Monday after an apparent cyber attack, just a day before the three-day conference overshadowed by the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi begins.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the apparent attack on the Future Investment Initiative (FII) website, as organisers scrambled to prepare for the summit after a string of cancellations from global business titans over the murder.

Hackers appeared to deface the website with a host of critical messages over its role in the war in Yemen and accusing the kingdom of terrorism financing. The website was later taken down.

Organisers of FII did not respond to requests for comment. Local media, including the pro-government Okaz newspaper, said the website had come under an "electronic attack".

The forum, nicknamed "Davos in the desert", was meant to project the historically insular petro-state as a lucrative business destination and set the stage for new ventures and multi-billion dollar contracts.

But it has been overshadowed by growing global outrage over the murder of Khashoggi inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul.

Dozens of global executives -- from bankers JP Morgan to carmaker Ford and ride-hailing app Uber -- have scrapped plans to attend.