Turkish actor detained over hacker group link suspicion

ISTANBUL

Twelve people, including actor Barış Atay, have been detained as part of an operation launched against the Turkish hacker group Redhack.

Suspects detained after raids conducted into several addresses in Istanbul, İzmir and Ankara on Nov. 22, are being taken to Ankara for questioning.

Atay loudly expressed his objections to harsh police interventions via Twitter during the anti-government Gezi Park protests over the summer, and has been taken into custody in Istanbul.

Redhack has staged a number of attacks against the websites of state institutions in protest at police violence during the protests, including the Turkish police force and the Istanbul Special Provincial Administration. Anti-cybercrime teams in Ankara subsequently kicked off an investigation into the group.

Six people have died and thousands injured since the Gezi protests erupted in late May, when the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality attempted to cut down trees in the central Istanbul park, sparking prolonged demonstrations in cities across the country.