Who really hacked a dozen U.S. websites? Was it the Islamic State or just an elaborate hoax?

Several American websites were hacked this weekend by an individual or individuals who profess to be working for the Islamic State. However, after the hackers attacked several websites in Europe, some security groups deny that there is any actual link between the two.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Currently the FBI is investigating the hacking incidents, the most recent of which involved Ireland's Dublin Rape Crisis Center's website. It's homepage was replaced with a picture of an Islamic State flag and the words "hacked by ISIS, we are everywhere" along with an address to a Facebook page that does not exist.

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The page also had a flash audio file which apparently played an Arabic song.

This exact same sort of attack appeared on web pages of the Eldora Speedway in Ohio, which is owned by NASCAR racer Tony Stewart, a church in Canada and a Goodwill center in St. Louis, and an unconfirmed number of other sites.

The FBI reported that it was "aware of the reported incidents and is contacting the impacted parties."

One global security analyst, Evan Kohlmann with Flashpoint Intelligence, told NBC News that he believed these hacks are simply a hoax.

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"There are no indications that the individuals behind these latest hacks have any real connection to ISIS, and these defacement have taken place amid a spate of recent attacks where ordinary hackers have cynically used far-fetched references to ISIS as a means of attracting media attention," Kohlmann said.

Other websites that were hacked over the weekend do not seem to have any link to each other. These included a Goodwill and the digital agency Elasticity in St. Louis, a bar and a hotel in Cleveland, a condominium complex in Long Island, New York, the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka, California and a cocktail bar in Somerville, Massachusetts.

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