Redhack accused of ties with Gülenist infiltrators

Abdurrahman Şimşek

ORDU — Investigators found that an IP address used by Turkey's notorious hacker group Redhack belonged to the Police Intelligence Department based in the capital Ankara. An investigation into the hacking of the website of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) local branch in northern Turkey's Ordu revealed the finding. Police intelligence is allegedly the most infiltrated police department by the controversial Gülen Movement.

The website of the AK Party's Ordu branch was hacked twice in November 2013. The computer used for the hack attack belongs to a computer in an intelligence department located in Ankara's Çankaya district. Hüseyin Akyol, head of the AK Party's Ordu branch, confirmed Redhack's connection to the intelligence unit, but the investigation has not been concluded yet.

Turkish police launched an earlier investigation into Redhack, known for its cyber attacks targeting the government and state agencies. But the investigation conducted by prosecutor Muammer Akkaş remained inconclusive. Akkaş is one of the prosecutors who spearheaded the Dec. 17 probe seeking to discredit the government.

According to a police report on Redhack, the group, established in 1997 by "left-wing" hackers, aims to undermine computer networks of state and government agencies. Redhack is accused of receiving support from foreign groups, including the Syrian Electronic Army, a group of hackers allegedly working for the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.