162 detained over online praise for school shootings in Turkey

Turkish police have arrested 162 people accused of posting controversial content online about two deadly school shootings which took place this week.

They were “found to have engaged in posts and activities praising crime and criminals and negatively affecting public order”, police said.

At least 16 people were injured in a shooting at a high school in the country’s southeast on Tuesday, before another nine were killed in a shooting at another school in the city of Kahramanmaras on Wednesday.

Hundreds have gathered near the city’s main mosque for the funerals of the young victims, which are being held on Thursday.

One victim has been identified as 10-year-old Zeynep. Her uncle, Mahmut, told the BBC that she was a clever girl who respected others. He said: “Now she is an angel, she flew away.”

Another bereaved relative at the funerals told the BBC he wanted more protection in schools following the attack.

The aunt of another victim, Shura, told the BBC she had learned that her 10-year-old niece had been killed when her name was read out on the news.

Three Turkish government ministers are also expected to attend the funerals, the BBC understands.

The shooting in Kahramanmaras saw at least eight students and one teacher killed, Turkish officials said, with 13 others wounded, including six in critical condition. A 14-year-old attacker was also killed during the incident, which took place at Ayser Calik Secondary School.

The suspect had planned for the attack in advance, the local prosecutor’s office said in a statement. It said: “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.”

The suspect had referenced US mass killer Elliot Rodger in a photo on his WhatsApp profile, according to police. 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 had five guns and seven magazines with him. (BBC)

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