Turkish police are on the move.
Turkey is still reeling over two school shootings in two days, but the authorities are enacting a crackdown on people allegedly praising or spreading fake news online about the shootings.
On Tuesday (14), a former student opened fire at a high school in the southeastern district of Siverek, injuring 16 people, and just a day later, nine people died in a second school shooting in the southern province of Kahramanmaras.
Turkey orders mass arrests over online praise for recent school shootings
➡️ https://t.co/OoOYDx0joo pic.twitter.com/8pKUufRPu7— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) April 16, 2026
France24 reported:
“Turkish authorities have detained more than 160 people on charges ranging from spreading misleading information to praising two deadly school shootings this week online, the justice minister said Thursday.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said 95 people had been taken into custody and 35 more suspects were being sought. Access to 1,104 social media accounts had been blocked, he added in a post on X.”
After two school shootings in two days, Turkish police place all schools under heavy guard
At least two armed officers are now stationed at every educational institution
In some cities, drones are monitoring the situation around schools https://t.co/paYCNwi03f pic.twitter.com/HfB9fxOo8R
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2026
Some accounts allegedly targeted schools, suggesting targeted attacks. Sixty-seven users linked to such posts have been detained, police said.
BBC reported:
“Justice Minister Akın Gürlek accused accounts of sharing footage of the incidents, spreading content capable of creating fear and praising crime.
[…] 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’. He said he wanted more protection in schools following the attack.”
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