Did MI5 abuse JK Rowling?

British author JK Rowling poses for photographers at the Southbank Centre in London. Photo / AP

The online abuse aimed at the Harry Potter author JK Rowling after she donated £1 million to the Better Together campaign may have actually been the work of British spies, a senior Scottish politician has claimed.

The backlash against Rowling saw Twitter users call her a "whore", "b****", "traitor" and "c***", with the comments largely attributed to apparent supporters of Scottish independence.

But writing in a local newspaper, the SNP's Christina McKelvie reportedly suggested that there was no link whatsoever between the accounts which sent the author abuse and "anything to do with the Yes campaign".

Instead, Ms McKelvie gave credence to what she described as "interesting" theories of MI5 attempts to discredit nationalists, in comments closely resembling those of veteran campaigner Jim Sillars earlier this month.

According to the Telegraph, Ms McKelvie wrote: "The attacks on JK Rowling for her donation to Better Together were, in fact, down to a very few people whose accounts no one could trace back to having anything to do with the Yes campaign.

The MSP, who chairs Holyrood's European and External Relations Committee, added: "Whoever made them - there are interesting conspiracy theorists who think it might all have been down to secret service plants - should be totally condemned. I have no time for this kind of small-minded viciousness."

One of the abusive posts against Rowling appeared on the official profile of an Edinburgh-based charity, which was reportedly investigated by regulators following the incident that it said was a result of its Twitter account being "hacked".

The "personal insults" were condemned by leading figures on both sides of the independence debate, and the head of the Church of Scotland called for everyone to "turn the volume down".

But Mr Sillars claimed that it was "naïve" to think that the security forces were not involved in seeking to influence the outcome of September's ballot which could see the break-up of the UK.

A Number 10 source told the Telegraph that Ms McKelvie's claims were "preposterous and extraordinary", while Labour MSP Michael McMahon said the comment "would be laughable if it wasn't so serious".

- UK Independent