Fear of more violence against Syrians in Turkey after teenager leaks personal data

The personal data of millions of Syrians living in Turkey has been leaked online stoking fears of further violence against refugees in the country.

Personal information including passport details and places of residence of more than 3.5 million Syrians in Turkey was leaked by a 14-year-boy, government authorities said, who has been arrested.

The data was shared on social media platforms like Telegram and follows recent 'pogroms' against Syrians in the country.

"It has been seen that a social media account with the nickname *"Uprising#Turkey"* posted today: ‘We will start an uprising in Sultanbeyli between 19.00-20.00," Turkey’s interior ministry said in a statement, referring to a municipality next to Istanbul.

"The investigation revealed that the administrator of the social media account was 14-year-old E.P," the ministry revealed, using only the initials.

"It was also understood that the identity information of Syrians under Temporary Protection was shared from the same account. The necessary action was taken against E.P. by the Istanbul Children's Branch Directorate," the statement added.

It’s still not clear how many files were leaked or how, but a Turkey-based Syrian activist said the initial number included personal details of half a million Syrians living in Istanbul, and another 400,000 living in the south-eastern city of Gaziantep close to Syria.

The data breach comes as Syrian refugees, who have escaped conflict in their country, face increasing hostility in Turkey including fatal violence.

The leaked data now raises fears of further violence and worries that mobs will use information of addresses to hunt down refugee families and individuals.

Turkey has been gripped by anti-Syrian race riots since Sunday, following reports that a Syrian man sexually harassed and abused a child in the central Turkish city of Kayseri.

Mobs attacked and burned Syrian businesses in Kayseri and other Turkish cities, and there have been reports of several fatal attacks across the country.

A 15-year-old Syrian boy was reportedly stabbed to death on Wednesday in Turkey's southwestern city of Antalya.

Turkish authorities announced on Tuesday that over 470 people had been arrested because of the violence.

The anti-Syrian violence in Turkey prompted Syrians to attack Turkish troops in the border city of Afrin, leading to the deaths of opposition protesters.

Ankara maintains a military presence in northern Syria after carrying out three cross-border operations since 2016, saying its buffer zone is to push back Kurdish militants which it deems to be terrorists.

The Syrian conflict, which spiralled out of anti-regime protests in 2011 and later drew in foreign powers, is estimated to have killed more than half a million people. Turkey cut off its ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime shortly after the conflict started and has supported anti-regime rebels.

But recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed willingness to meet with Assad, saying there was no reason not to.

Assad’s regime has refused any normalisation efforts before Ankara pulls out its troops.