THE Guardian newspaper says its Twitter accounts have come under a cyberattack, and it cited a claim of responsibility from the group calling itself the Syrian Electronic Army.

The British paper reported on its website that several of its Twitter feeds were broken into over the weekend.

It said it has since discovered the attack apparently originated from internet protocol addresses within Syria.

The paper said the Syrian Electronic Army, which has claimed responsibility for attacks on other media targets including The Associated Press, accused The Guardian of spreading "lies and slander about Syria".

The Guardian said it first recognised it was being targeted when suspect emails were sent to staff members.

Some of The Guardian's Twitter accounts, including those focusing on books and film, were suspended on Monday.