Bush family emails hacked

San Francisco - A hacker has broken in to the email accounts of the Bush family, releasing private correspondence and pictures of two ex-presidents George H W Bush and George W Bush, it emerged Friday.

The hacker, who goes by the name Guccifer, released some of the information to the online expose site The Smoking Gun, claiming to have gained access to three years worth of emails dating back to 2009.

The emails revealed that the elder Bush had been close to death during his December hospitalization and that his children and staff were discussing his eulogy and funeral.

Included in the hacked material were pictures of the elder George Bush in hospital and a confidential October 2012 list of home addresses, cell phone numbers, and e-mails for dozens of Bush family members, including both former presidents, their siblings, and their children.

Among the hacked accounts were those of Dorothy Bush Koch, daughter of George HW Bush and sister of George W Bush; former first lady Barbara Bush’s brother; and George HW Bush’s sister-in-law.//DPA