Gülenist admits ByLock app can be used on computer

Wednesday, 31 police officers were detained as part of an investigation of the ByLock messaging app used by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in southern Hatay province.

According to information obtained by Anadolu Agency (AA), the Hatay police department launched raids on the addresses of FETÖ suspects. Thirty-one police officers accused of using the terrorist group's messaging app, ByLock, were detained in the raids.

The suspects were taken to a state hospital in Hatay and later on were transferred to police headquarters.

Meanwhile, a police officer with the initials A.K. confessed that the messaging app could also be used on computers. The 29-year-old suspect was detained in the southeastern province of Hakkari after he was found using ByLock.

However, the suspect rejected the claims. "I have not used such a program. I have no connection to the FETÖ terror group," he contended.

The smartphone app is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies before the defeated coup, and they reportedly identified tens of thousands of members of FETÖ, a group the government has said was behind the attempted takeover.

The ByLock codes were broken in August, resulting in 60,000 members being uncovered. Another encrypted messaging app, Eagle, was also deciphered by intelligence officers recently.

Prosecutors say that ByLock was popular among Gülenists as a secretive form of communication from 2013 to 2015.