PKK's hacker group admits to cybercrimes against Turkey

By Orhan Onur Gemici

ANKARA (AA) - Suspects arrested in operations against hackers operating within the PKK terror group, admitted they conveyed to members of the organization data obtained from public institutions and organizations websites they hacked.

On Dec. 7, counter-terrorism units nabbed 27 suspects in operations against "Mezopotamia Hackers" -- hackers operating within the terror group.

One suspect identified as M.D. said the hacker group was the unit operating on the internet for the PKK terror organization.

"As a result of the cyber attacks we did especially on public institutions and organizations, we accessed the government information in the database and the personal information of the civil servants through unauthorized access," said the suspect.

M.D. went on to say that they sent information to the terror group in Europe.

The group also shared information through the social media ANF website to make PKK propaganda.

Suspect B.A. said there was a forum site called "CMG Team-Cold Hacker" in 2009 - 2010, and the name was later changed to "Mezopotamia Hackers," adding that the indexes they placed on internet pages they hacked included PKK propaganda.

Another suspect, R.A., said the websites belonging to the hacker group are managed from abroad and that they share personal information obtained from hacked sites on the internet.

"There were posts about citizen identities within the hacker group, the purpose of these shares was to open e-mail addresses on behalf of those people," R.A. admitted.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.