Turkish police have detained 83 people for “glorifying crime and criminals” following two school shootings this week, including an attack in Kahramanmaraş in which a 14-year-old student killed at least nine people before taking his own life.
Turkish police have detained 83 people for “glorifying crime and criminals” following two school shootings this week, including an attack in Kahramanmaraş in which a 14-year-old student killed at least nine people before taking his own life.
Authorities have also blocked access to 940 social media accounts and 93 Telegram groups for the same reason, police said.
The shootings took place on Tuesday (14 April) and Wednesday (15 April), in incidents that have shocked a country where such attacks are rare.
In Wednesday’s attack, a 14-year-old student shot dead at least nine people, including eight fellow pupils, at a middle school in Kahramanmaraş province before taking his own life. He also wounded 20 others.
Police said the teenager had used an image referencing U.S. mass killer Elliot Rodger on his WhatsApp profile.
Rodger killed six people in California in 2014 before fatally shooting himself.
The Kahramanmaraş prosecutor’s office said investigators found a document dated April 11 on the attacker’s computer indicating that a major attack would be carried out “in the near future”.
“Initial findings indicate no connection to terrorism, the incident is believed to be an individual attack,” the statement said.
In a separate statement on Thursday (16 April), the prosecutor’s office said the attacker had used five pistols belonging to his police officer father. The father has been jailed pending trial.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid tribute to the victims in a post on social media platform X, expressing condolences to the families and wishing the injured a “speedy recovery”.
He said the attack had “deeply saddened all of Türkiye” and described the victims as “our bright young children and a devoted educator”.
Erdoğan said investigations were under way and would “undoubtedly be fully clarified in all its aspects”, adding that ministers had travelled to Kahramanmaraş to oversee the response and support those affected.
He also urged the public and media to act responsibly, warning against “false or misleading news”, and said it was a “moral duty” not to turn the tragedy into political debate, adding: “Pain has no politics.”
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