Turkish authorities have denied conspiracy theories suggesting that yesterday's earthquake in İstanbul was artificially triggered through human intervention.
The claims, circulating widely on social media following the quake, allege that two US-flagged ships and the HAARP system were involved in inducing the seismic activity in the Sea of Marmara off the coast of İstanbul.
The Center for Combating Disinformation (DMM), a government body, rejected the accusations late yesterday, stating, “There is no scientific basis for claims that an earthquake can be triggered by a ship or the HAARP system.”
Powerful earthquake hits İstanbul, over 150 injured after jumping from buildings
HAARP, or the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, is a scientific initiative designed to study the ionosphere, an ionized area covering higher layers of the Earth's atmpsphere, using high-frequency radio waves. Despite its stated research goals, HAARP has often been at the center of global conspiracy theories linking it to natural disasters, weather manipulation, and even mind control.
“Earthquakes are the result of natural processes in the Earth’s crust caused by immense geological forces,” the DMM stated in response to speculation. “Current scientific data and the consensus of the scientific community agree that neither a ship nor the HAARP system is capable of generating the kind of energy required to trigger an earthquake.”
Social media posts specifically claimed two ships, one belonging to the US Navy and outfitted with HAARP technology and the other a drill ship, were operating along the fault line shortly before the earthquake.
Addressing these allegations, the DMM clarified that the USS Nitze had last been in the Sea of Marmara in 2023 and was not present during the recent earthquake. Additionally, the GPS Saturn, the drilling ship, was confirmed to have conducted no operations in the region in 2025.
“It is currently anchored in the Black Sea, near Bulgaria, where it has remained stationary for 340 days,” the DMM noted. “The claim that the earthquake occurred at the ship’s anchor point is entirely false.”
The DMM also responded to a photo circulating online, purportedly showing a drilling platform linked to the incident. The image, they explained, was taken in 2018 when GPS Saturn was involved in a natural gas storage project for the Turkish Petroleum International Company (BOTAŞ).
“These claims that a ship triggered the İstanbul earthquake are part of a baseless disinformation campaign. Please do not give credit to such unfounded allegations,” the statement concluded.
Bazı sosyal medya hesaplarından paylaşılan, “İstanbul’da yaşanan depremin, GPS SATURN gemisinin demirlediği noktada faya açtığı sondaj sonucu tetiklenmiş olabileceği” yönündeki iddialar doğru değildir.
— Dezenformasyonla Mücadele Merkezi (@dmmiletisim) April 23, 2025
İddiayı güçlendirmek için kullanılan görüntülerin, Rönesans Endüstri… https://t.co/V9udSn5rEv pic.twitter.com/dbuV7wjRk9
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