Turkish authorities have detained 162 individuals who face accusations of distributing dangerous or contentious online materials following two deadly school shootings which occurred earlier this week.
The tragic incidents which occurred during two consecutive days in the southern region of the country have resulted in deep mourning for local communities while the government has implemented strict measures to combat online misinformation and public danger.
The Tragic Shootings and Community Mourning
The violence started on Tuesday when it erupted at a vocational high school located in the Siverek district. A teenage former student used a shotgun to shoot people at random which resulted in 16 injuries before he committed suicide according to the statements that Sanliurfa Governorate coordinated.
A more dangerous attack occurred on the following day at Ayser Calik Secondary School in Kahramanmaras. A 14-year-old student who possessed five guns together with seven magazines executed a shooting that resulted in eight student deaths and one teacher death while inflicting injuries on 13 people six of whom required critical medical care. The attacker was killed by police forces who engaged him during the incident.
The Kahramanmaras Governorate officials together with local prosecutors established that the attack which took place on Wednesday had been planned from the beginning. Digital forensics discovered a document which had been created on April 11 2026 that described the suspect’s plan to conduct a substantial operation. The suspect used his WhatsApp profile to show his admiration for US mass murderer Elliot Rodger according to police information.
Three government ministers together with hundreds of mourners assembled at the city’s primary mosque on Thursday to attend the funerals. The families of 10-year-old victims Zeynep and Shura have made public appeals to the Ministry of National Education for stronger protective measures which they believe will stop future school tragedies from occurring.
Government Crackdown on Social Media and Misinformation
The General Directorate of Security conducted a massive operation against people who were using online platforms to exploit the public panic that followed the emergency situations.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, representing the Ministry of Justice, announced that 95 people were initially taken into custody. The authorities charged them with two offenses because they broadcast restricted attack footage which created public panic while they showed their admiration for criminals through their actions and distributed false information to undermine the official police statements.
The investigation resulted in 67 new arrests because people shared threatening information which made false claims about upcoming school attacks.
The Justice Minister announced that authorities have arrested 1,104 people who committed these crimes and established complete control over their social media accounts. The government responds with immediate action because it maintains a zero-tolerance policy against any online behavior which endangers public safety or promotes violent acts.
