15-Year-Old Arrested After Turkey School Shooting Injures 11 as Fresh Violence Raises Safety Concerns

Image Credit: AP Photo

At least 11 people have been injured after a 15-year-old student opened fire outside a high school in western Turkey, with two of the victims reported to be in serious condition. The shooting took place on Tuesday morning outside İnci Üzmez Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Turgutlu, in Manisa province.

Turkish authorities detained the teenager shortly after the attack, along with his mother, father and grandfather as part of the investigation. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the suspect is believed to be a student at the school. Two chief prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the incident, while the Education Ministry has sent three inspectors to examine what happened.

Video footage circulated after the shooting appeared to show the suspect carrying what was described as a shotgun before the attack and later running away from the school with the weapon. Authorities have not established a motive, although AP reported that investigators were considering bullying among possible lines of inquiry.

Under Turkish law, the teenager must appear before a court before an arrest can be formally ordered. The Education Ministry said the incident had deeply saddened the country and the education community, while officials moved to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

The attack has renewed concerns over school safety in Turkey after two serious shootings in April. On April 14, a former student in Şanlıurfa opened fire, injuring 16 people before dying by suicide. The following day, a 14-year-old student attacked Ayser Çalık Secondary School in Kahramanmaraş, killing nine people — eight students and a teacher — and injuring 13 others.

The April attacks shocked a country where school shootings had previously been considered rare. In the Kahramanmaraş case, authorities said the 14-year-old had brought multiple firearms and magazines believed to have belonged to his father, a former police officer. The incidents prompted renewed discussion about access to firearms and school security.

Turkey subsequently introduced additional security measures for the 2026–27 academic year, including tighter controls intended to improve safety around schools. The latest shooting in Manisa is now likely to place those measures under further scrutiny as investigators determine how the teenager obtained the weapon and what led to the attack.

For now, authorities have not announced a confirmed motive. The investigation remains ongoing as officials work to establish the circumstances of the shooting, the suspect’s access to the firearm and whether others may have contributed to the incident.