Mahmut Faruk Akşit warns of genetic data theft and biological threats

Mahmut Faruk Akşit, Director General of TUSAŞ Engine Industry (TEI), has raised concerns regarding the potential theft of stem cells from Turkey to map the nation's genetic structure. Akşit warned that this data could be used to develop biological weapons specifically designed to target the Turkish population.

He emphasized the urgent need for Turkey to develop its own scientific expertise and laboratory infrastructure to prepare for genetically programmed biological threats. Akşit suggested that viruses could be modified in laboratories to attach to human cells and tested on prisoners before being deployed as weapons.

These remarks have revived historical debates in Turkey concerning genetic privacy. Specifically, they recall a 1999 campaign for leukemia patient Oktar Babuna, during which approximately 160,000 blood samples were collected. At that time, roughly 120,000 samples were sent to laboratories in the United States and Germany, leading to significant controversy regarding how the genetic information was stored and shared.