The sites were down for a couple of hours, but IPA’s software engineers managed to restore the sites to their original state.

The hackers left a message on the sites, which when translated through Google, suggested “prosecution is the time to visit every nation” (sic). “The CYBER-WAR will be appeared all the countries which not respecting Islam.”

“The hackers managed to delete all physical files, but could not breach the security of the database, which helped in the restoration of the sites within hours,” said Nitya Chakraborty, Editor-in-Chief of IPA.

In previous attacks, the group had reportedly targeted the website of a United Nations Country Team in Ethiopia defacing it with a black jihadi flag and a message claiming the hacking was in retaliation for cyber attacks against Turkey and Islam.

"The revenge is delayed but never resurrected. Become a friend to Turk, do not become an enemy,” the group said in another such attack on a British school. The school's normal website was turned blank, with just the Turkish text and a message reading "HELLO ADMIN SYSTEM HACKED."

Other websites attacked in a similar manner included Kenya's Ministry of Transport, and the Facebook page of the Kurdish LGBT group Hebun.

The same group is also believed to be behind the attack of a website of Sony's Provident Films for the film Saving Christmas in 2014, in which the hackers left pro-Islamic slogans on the site. (IPA)