Mexico's Pemex won't pay ransom after cyberattack: energy minister

FILE PHOTO: A Pemex gas station is seen in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican national oil company Pemex will not pay a ransom demanded by suspected cyberattackers who targeted the firm's computer systems, Energy Minister Rocio Nahle told reporters on Wednesday.

Nahle, who also serves as chair of the Pemex board, added that the attack hit the company's administrative headquarters in Mexico City and that its "plants and wells" continued to operate.

Hackers have demanded some $5 million in bitcoin from Pemex.

The hack was first detected on Sunday, forcing the company to shut down computers across Mexico and freezing systems such as payments, according to employees and internal emails.

(Reporting by Adriana Barrera; Editing by Bernadette Baum)