A 15‑year‑old gunman opened fire outside the Inci Uzmez Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Manisa on Tuesday morning, injuring eleven students. Two of those who were shot were rendered critical by the bullet wounds, according to local authorities.
Police arrested the youth and detained his mother, father and grandfather, who had reportedly owned the shotgun used in the attack. The suspect is a student at the school, and the gun was held in his possession before the shooting. He was taken into custody and will face a court hearing under Turkish law, prior to official arrest proceedings.
The incident follows two earlier school shootings in Turkey that year, including a deadly attack in Kahramanmaras where a 14‑year‑old killed nine students and a teacher. These events have heightened calls for stricter gun regulations and increased school security measures for the coming 2026‑2027 academic year.
CCTV footage captured the suspect strolling through empty streets, inspecting a shotgun, before fleeing with the weapon in hand. The footage also shows him running away from the school after the gunfire, providing visual evidence of the attack’s immediacy and the suspect’s attempt to evade capture.
In response, Turkey’s education ministry issued a statement expressing deep sorrow for the incident and emphasized that it “deeply saddened our nation, and our educational community in particular.” Three national investigators were dispatched to Manisa to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack and assess security gaps.
The tragedy underscores the urgent need for broader policies that address mental‑health resources for students, as well as robust preventative measures to curb the surge of armed violence in schools. Stakeholders are calling for community‑based interventions, improved surveillance, and stronger enforcement of gun‑control legislation to safeguard children’s futures in an increasingly volatile climate of violence.
