AFRICAN computer hackers who took over the website of a historic landmark thought they were hijacking the site of a castle 2,000 miles away, a national newspaper has claimed.

Algerian hackers took over the Belvoir Castle site, the family seat of the 11th Duke of Rutland, apparently mistaking it for the Belvoir Fortress in Israel.

As reported in the Echo, they invaded the family-friendly site on Friday, replacing images of the stately home with a black page displaying the Algerian flag and a tirade in Arabic against the Jewish state.

The site they intended to hit was a stronghold of the Christian military order of the Knights Hospitaller in 1168.

An Algerian subversive group called the Dz-SeC claimed responsibility, writing in Arabic on the castle's website: "The cause of this hack is Israel's presence. Internet law does not protect the ignorant. Thank you to all the pirates of Algeria."

The site is now back to normal.