Turkish School Shootings Kill Nine, Prompt Mass Arrests Over Online Praise

Apr 18, 2026

Turkey experienced its first deadly mass school shooting when a 14-year-old student killed eight children and one teacher at a school in Kahramanmaras on Wednesday before being killed at the scene. The attack came one day after a former student wounded 16 people in a shooting at another school in the same region, with both incidents occurring in lower-income cities. The Kahramanmaras shooter, described as a troubled teenager who referenced American gunman Elliot Rodgers on social media, obtained weapons from his father's bedroom; his father, a former police officer, is now under arrest. In response, Turkish authorities ordered the arrest of 162 people accused of praising the attacks or spreading misinformation and blocked over 1,000 social media accounts and Telegram groups.

The Kahramanmaras School Shooting and Victims

▪Zeynep, a 10-year-old victim of the Kahramanmaras shooting, was killed by shots fired near the Ayser Calik Secondary School.
▪A 14-year-old student shot dead eight children and one teacher at a school in Kahramanmaras, Turkey on Wednesday.
▪The 14-year-old shooter in Kahramanmaras was killed at the scene.
▪The Kahramanmaras school shooting is Turkey's first deadly mass school shooting.
▪One day before the Kahramanmaras attack, a former student shot at another school in the same region, wounding 16 people.

The Teenage Shooter's Profile and Motivations

▪An entry on the Kahramanmaras shooter's computer dated 11 April indicated there would be a major attack in the near future.
▪The 14-year-old Kahramanmaras shooter referred on social media to American gunman Elliot Rodgers, who killed six students in California in 2014.
▪The 14-year-old Kahramanmaras shooter obtained weapons from the bedroom of his father, a former police officer.

Government Crackdown on Social Media Response

▪More than 1,000 social media accounts and Telegram groups have been blocked in Turkey following the Kahramanmaras shooting.
▪Around 150 people have been detained in Turkey for social media posts about the Kahramanmaras killings.