Arrests Ordered Over Online Praise of School Shootings
Turkish police have ordered the arrests of 83 individuals accused of posting controversial content online related to two deadly school shootings that occurred this week.
Authorities stated that these individuals were "found to have engaged in posts and activities praising crime and criminals and negatively affecting public order."
In addition to the arrests, police reported that access to 940 social media accounts has been blocked and 93 Telegram groups have been shut down.
Details of the School Shootings
At least nine people were killed in a shooting at a school in southern Turkey on Wednesday, following an attack the previous day that injured 16 people at a high school in the country's southeast.
In the Kahramanmaras area of southern Turkey, eight students and one teacher lost their lives in the school shooting. Turkish officials confirmed that 13 others were wounded, with six in critical condition.
The attacker, a 14-year-old, was also killed during the incident at Ayser Calik Secondary School.
The local prosecutor's office in Kahramanmaras province released a statement indicating that the suspect had planned the attack in advance.
"During the examination of digital materials, a document dated April 11, 2026, was found on the suspect's computer indicating that he intended to carry out a major operation in the near future."
Police noted that the suspect had referenced US mass killer Elliot Rodger in a photo on his WhatsApp profile. Rodger, a 22-year-old American, murdered six people before taking his own life in California in 2014.
Turkish media reported that the attacker, believed to be a student, entered two classrooms and was armed with five guns and seven magazines.
The aunt of one victim told the BBC that she learned her 10-year-old niece had been killed when her name was read out on the news.
Funeral prayers for four of the victims were held on Thursday in the city's main mosque. The BBC understands that three Turkish government ministers were expected to attend the service.
This shooting was the second to take place in Turkey this week. On Tuesday, 16 people were injured after a former student opened fire at the Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in the Siverek district.
The attacker, who was in his late teens, fired "indiscriminately with a shotgun" before killing himself with the weapon, according to local governor Hasan Şildak.
