Turkish-origin German behind Trump's Twitter shut down

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) - A former contractor of Twitter, who recently deactivated President Donald Trump’s Twitter account for 11 minutes early November, has been revealed as a German citizen of Turkish origin, according to a technology website.

Bahtiyar Duysak, 28, told TechCrunch on Thursday that the entire incident was a “mistake”, clarifying that he did not intend to take Trump’s account down.

Duysak said he grew up in a small town and was in the U.S. on a work and study visa. He said he worked as a contractor for a short term in Twitter as part of the company’s Trust and Safety division.

“It’s not like I was looking for something or planning to do it,” he said.

“It was in front of me, and I didn’t do a good job, and I didn’t double-check things.”

Trump’s personal Twitter account, which has nearly 49 million followers, was down for just 11 minutes before it was restored.

In a response to the incident, Twitter had stated that it was done by a Twitter employee who was leaving the company on Nov. 2.

However, calling it as a proof of the power of his words, Trump, perhaps Twitter’s most famous user, claimed the incident was due to his success as a leader.

“My Twitter account was taken down for 11 minutes by a rogue employee,” the U.S. president tweeted.

“I guess the word must finally be getting out -- and having an impact.”

Duysak, however, said: “I’m not a rogue person,” adding that he actually admires Trump's success and enjoyed his time in the U.S.