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Turkish influencer Furkan Bolukbasi was detained Tuesday on charges of “assassination and physical attack against the president” following a post he shared on the social media platform X, the Istanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Authorities said an ex officio investigation was launched under Article 310 of the Turkish Penal Code, which covers crimes of assassination and physical assault (threat) against the president.
The statement noted that Bolukbasi was taken into custody on the prosecutor’s instructions and that the investigation would continue “meticulously to uncover the material truth.”
The probe stems from a post shared by Bolukbasi on Nov. 10, in which he commented on another user’s observation about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
The original post read, “I followed the official ceremony for the anniversary of M. Kemal’s death on Nov. 10, 2025, for a bit. My conviction has strengthened that Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party will experience a very serious defeat as a divine act…”
Quoting the post, Bolukbasi wrote, “It was the flattery he showed to Kemalism that brought Menderes to his end. The current government of the Muslims will pull itself together before suffering the same fate.”
Adnan Menderes, Turkish prime minister from 1950 to 1960 and an emblematic figure for Turkish conservatives, was tried and hanged one year after the military staged a coup in 1960. Some analysts also described it as an effort to put Türkiye back on a more secular course.
The post drew widespread attention and backlash online and was later deleted by Bolukbasi. In a follow-up post featuring a photo of Erdogan praying, he wrote, “Although we may sometimes offer criticism from our own perspective, if there were ever any possibility of danger directed at our president, we would stand by him with our blood and our lives, and if necessary, sacrifice ourselves to protect him. We are his loyal and courageous Muslim brothers.”
Following, prosecutors launched an official investigation, and Bolukbasi was taken into custody under Article 310 for alleged threats against the president.
No further details were immediately available.
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