9 more suspects jailed in MİT’s cyber spy op

ANKARA

A court in Ankara has arrested nine additional individuals as part of a Turkish intelligence operation that dismantled an international cyber espionage network intercepting personal data.

The total number of arrested suspects in the inquiry has now reached 20, as security sources said on Oct. 18. Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the Ankara police conducted the joint operation.

The suspects have been found to have sold personal information to buyers, including terrorist organizations, through social media platforms.

This data was reportedly exploited by organized crime syndicates to blackmail citizens, particularly targeting youths and children. In conjunction with the operation, authorities have also shut down access to 18 more websites involved in the sale of this data.

Türkiye prevents more than 400 major cyberattacks and 11 million malicious access requests every day, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said in a statement in September.