Turkish Authorities Block Twitter Access to Stop Information Spreading After Suruç Bombing

By Emre Peker 

ISTANBUL--Turkish authorities cut off access to Twitter Inc. on Wednesday to block the spread of information about a suicide bombing that has convulsed the country and to prevent unauthorized demonstrations.

The Twitter blackout just hours after a court in the southern province of Sanliurfa ordered the suppression of images and videos on Monday's suicide bombing in Suruç, which killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 100 others. Turkish officials have blamed the attack on the Sunni Muslim extremist group Islamic State

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said the ban was triggered by the dissemination of information about the attack and calls for what it described as "illegal mass demonstrations."

Turkey's Internet Service Providers Association delivered court orders to Twitter, Facebook Inc. and Google Inc.'s video-sharing website, YouTube, demanding the removal of attack-related content, the news agency said.

While Facebook and YouTube quickly removed the banned content and kept operating, Twitter was unable to immediately comply with the order and shut down. The microblogging site would go back online once it does so, Turkish officials said.

Twitter didn't respond to requests for comment.

In the past two years, the government has stepped up its efforts to control Twitter, Facebook and Google, with the companies in many cases complying with demands by authorities to remove content.

In April, a Turkish court temporarily blocked user access to Twitter and YouTube for failing to remove content related to a hostage crisis. Facebook was also hit with a brief interruption. All the sites went back online within hours after complying with the order.

Monday's attack near Turkey's border with Syria has been condemned across the country. It has also sparked criticism of Ankara's efforts to unseat Syrian President Bashar al- Assad, which some critics say has drawn Islamist militant groups closer to Turkey's border, if not into the country itself.

Opposition lawmakers have called for mass protests to condemn terrorism and the government's foreign policy, while police have deployed tear-gas and water cannons against demonstrating government opponents.

Adding to tensions in Turkey, two police officers were shot dead in Sanliurfa province, which encompasses Suruç. The shootings were under investigation but they were unlikely to be related to Islamist or Kurdish militant activity in the area, said Izzettin Kucuk, the province's governor.

Sam Schechner in Paris contributed to this article.

Write to Emre Peker at [e-mail]

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