Posted: 03.03.2023 11:26:00

50+ people detained in Turkiye for provocations in social networks amid earthquakes

Turkiye’s General Directorate of Security reported the detention of 56 people and the arrest of 14 of them for provocative materials on social networks in connection with the powerful tremors recorded in the country, TASS reports with reference to Turkish law enforcement officers

PHOTO: WWW.REUTERS.COM

According to the police, 475 social media accounts were identified containing provocative publications about the fluctuations of the Earth's surface, posted in order to sow fear and panic among the population. “56 people [who distributed such messages] were detained, and 14 of them were arrested,” the source said.

In addition, law enforcement officers initiated the blocking of 41 phishing sites through which attackers fraudulently lured funds from citizens who wanted to help victims of powerful aftershocks. Crypto wallets, to which it was proposed to transfer assets under the guise of helping victims, and four accounts in social networks posing as state institutions were suspended.