Man arrested on suspicion of being hacker group RedHack’s leader

ANKARA – Radikal

Friends of detained members of the RedHack group hold placards asking for justice for actor Baris Atay and other alleged RedHack members outside a courthouse in Ankara, on Nov. 25. AFP photo

A man identified as Taylan K. was arrested on Nov. 29 as part of an operation launched against the Turkish hacker group RedHack upon the prosecutors’ request only a few days after he was released by a court following a period of detention.
 
Prosecutors accuse Taylan K. of being Redhack’s leader nicknamed “Manyak” (Maniac), a claim that both the suspect’s lawyer and the hacker group categorically denied.
 
“The fact that [Taylan K.] resided in France is used as the most important evidence against him by the police, because they have determined that the person nicknamed “Manyak,” who they believe to be RedHack’s leader, is living there. So, according to the police, every Turkish citizen living in France and using a computer has become a suspect,” Taylan K.’s lawyers said, filing an objection to his arrest.
 
The hacker group has also said via Twitter that Taylan K. had no connection to them, urging his immediate release.
 
Taylan K. was arrested in Istanbul and will be brought back to Ankara where he will be taken in pre-trial detention on the grounds that there were “strong suspicions” that he might try to escape and the probation conditions were insufficient, according to daily Radikal.
 
During his interrogation after his detention on Nov. 22, Taylan K. had denied any involvement with the hacker group. “I follow RedHack’s tweet feed at the restaurant that I am running. I don’t have any Twitter account. I am a mid-level computer user,” Taylan K. reportedly told prosecutors.
 
Fourteen people, including actor Barış Atay, were released after being detained in the operation carried out in Ankara, Istanbul and İzmir.
 
The suspects were reportedly asked some 27 questions in the police investigation about the structure of the organization, Gezi protests, their duties in the organization and the efforts to take down state websites and personal email addresses.
 
Taylan K.’s lawyers claimed that Atay had been detained due to similarities of the tone of his voice with a prominent RedHack member. “This proves that the investigation is far from being conducted seriously,” lawyers said.