ANKARA – A group of Internet hackers appeared before an Ankara court on Monday on charges of terrorism, the first time alleged cyber criminals have been put on trial in Turkey, local media reported.
The 10 members of the “Redhack” group are accused of belonging to an armed terrorist organisation, illegally obtaining confidential documents and personal information, as well as cracking into private systems without authorization.
The court released three of the suspects who had been in custody since March, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
The defendants, who deny the charges, risk prison sentences ranging from eight to 24 years if convicted.
Redhack claims to be affiliated with the international hackers’ group Anonymous group, and has carried out several online attacks against state and private domains since 1997.
Some of the websites they targeted have included the Turkish intelligence agency, the country’s Internet watchdog and Turkish Airlines.
Turkey has strengthened its legislation in recent years to fight hackers.
