RedHack ‘hacks’ Turkish police website as border traffic grounds to a halt

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

The Turkish hacker group Redhack announced today via Twitter that it had hacked the website of the Turkish police, leading to a temporary halt at all entrances and exits through the country’s borders.

International entrances and exits, which halted at around 1 p.m. due to a problem in the “pol-net system,” which is used for passport procedures, was back to normal at around 5:10 p.m.

Border gate procedures have been continuing over local servers unconnected to the center, according to a statement from the National Police Force's official account.

The police, however, denied the hackers’ claim, arguing that the site was shut down for a “controlled” deactivation due to the transfer of a data center.

The group said they hacked the website in protest at police violence during the Gezi protests.

Five people have died and thousands have been injured since the Gezi protests erupted in late May, when Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality attempted to cut down trees in Taksim's park, sparking anger in Istanbul and cities around the country.

RedHack has made a number of attacks against governmental websites in the past, including the finance and interior ministries, as well as the Religious Affairs Directorate.