Turkish police have ordered the apprehension of 83 individuals following their alleged involvement in posting objectionable content online concerning two recent fatal school shootings. These incidents, which occurred within the week, prompted a swift response from law enforcement.
Authorities stated that the targeted individuals were identified as having engaged in online activities and publications that glorified crime, criminals, and negatively impacted public order. In conjunction with these arrests, access to 940 social media accounts has been restricted, and 93 Telegram groups have been deactivated.
The clampdown follows two significant violence incidents. On Wednesday, a school shooting in southern Turkey resulted in at least nine fatalities. This event occurred just one day after a separate attack in the country’s southeast injured 16 people at a high school.
Details of the Southern Turkey School Shooting
The shooting in the Kahramanmaras region of southern Turkey led to the deaths of at least eight students and one teacher. Turkish officials reported that 13 additional individuals sustained injuries, with six of them in critical condition. The perpetrator, identified as a 14-year-old attacker, was also killed during the incident at Ayser Calik Secondary School.
The Kahramanmaras provincial prosecutor’s office indicated that the suspect had premeditated the attack. Examination of digital materials recovered from the suspect’s computer revealed a document dated April 11, 2026, suggesting an intention to execute a significant operation in the near future. Furthermore, police noted that the suspect’s WhatsApp profile picture referenced American mass killer Elliot Rodger, who committed a series of murders in California in 2014 before taking his own life.
Reports from Turkish media suggested the attacker, believed to be a student, entered two classrooms armed with five firearms and seven magazines. A victim’s aunt shared with the BBC the devastating news of her 10-year-old niece’s death, which she learned through a news report detailing the victims’ names.
Funeral services for four of the victims were scheduled for Thursday at the city’s main mosque. It is understood that three Turkish government ministers were expected to attend these services.
Details of the Southeastern Turkey High School Shooting
The Kahramanmaras shooting was the second such incident to occur in Turkey this week. On Tuesday, an ex-student opened fire at the Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in the Siverek district, injuring 16 people. The attacker, described as being in his late teens, reportedly fired indiscriminately with a shotgun before fatally shooting himself with the same weapon, according to local governor Hasan Şildak.