Turkey: Software specialist remanded over coup bid app

By Muhammed Enes Can and Murat Kaya

ISTANBUL (AA) - An Istanbul court on Thursday remanded in custody the alleged developer of a messaging app linked to the July 15 coup attempt.

The software specialist, who is said to have created the ByLock app in custody, had previously worked at the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Istanbul's Caglayan Court heard.

The suspect is charged with membership of a terrorist organization, namely the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which is said to be behind the failed coup that left 241 people martyred.

ByLock was used by suspected FETO members in the months leading up to the coup attempt. The smartphone app is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies months before July 15, allowing them to reportedly identify tens of thousands of FETO members.

Dozens of people, including police officers, have been arrested for using the app.

Led by the U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of orchestrating the coup plot as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.