Turkish Authorities Order Arrests Over Online Praise for School Shootings
Turkish authorities have initiated a significant crackdown on online content deemed to be glorifying recent school shootings, with arrest warrants issued for 83 individuals. Police stated that these individuals were found to have made posts and engaged in activities that 'praise crime and criminals and negatively affect public order'.
Dual Tragedies Prompt Funerals and Investigation
The measure follows two devastating school shootings. On Tuesday, 16 people were injured at a high school in the country's southeast. This was tragically followed on Wednesday by an attack at Ayser Calik Secondary School in Kahramanmaraş, where eight students and one teacher were killed, and 13 others wounded. The 14-year-old assailant was also killed during the incident.
Hundreds gathered near the main mosque in Kahramanmaraş for the funerals of the young victims, including 10-year-old Zeynep. Relatives expressed profound grief and a desire for enhanced school protection. Three government ministers are anticipated to attend the solemn services.
Pre-Planned Attack Uncovered
The local prosecutor's office in Kahramanmaraş revealed that the suspect had meticulously planned the attack. Digital forensics uncovered a document on the assailant's computer, dated April 11, 2026, indicating an intent to 'carry out a major operation in the near future'. Police also noted the suspect referenced US mass killer Elliot Rodger on a WhatsApp profile photo, a perpetrator of a 2014 California murder spree.
Reports from Turkish media suggest the attacker, believed to be a student, entered two classrooms armed with five guns and seven magazines. In addition to the arrests, access to 940 social media accounts has been blocked and 93 Telegram groups have been shut down as part of the ongoing investigation.
The earlier attack on Tuesday at the Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Siverek district involved an ex-student in his late teens who 'fired indiscriminately with a shotgun' before taking his own life.
