Conspiracy theories

When Turmoil Strikes, Turks See Conspiracy at Work

In the aftermath of modernTurkey’s deadliest terrorist attack, an old specter has reappeared on the political scene: the widespread assumption that events are being manipulated behind the scenes and outside the law by a web of shadowy forces called the “deep state.”

Though officials were quick to point a finger at Islamic State terrorists when a pair of suicide bombings killed more than 100 people in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, Internet users swiftly lit up Turkey’s social media with more cynical explanations. They theorized that government agents and outside accomplices were once again conspiring to stir up trouble and provoke violence for political purposes.