A 14-YEAR-OLD student who killed at least nine people, including eight pupils, in a school shooting in southeastern Turkiye had used an image referencing 2014 U.S. mass killer Elliot Rodger on his WhatsApp profile, Turkish police said.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the attack, one of the country’s deadliest school shootings in recent years, also left 20 others injured in the incident on Wednesday in Kahramanmaras before the attacker took his own life.
It marked Turkiye’s second school shooting in just two days, shocking a nation where such incidents are rare.
In a statement, police said initial findings indicated no link to terrorism.
"Initial findings indicate no connection to terrorism, the incident is believed to be an individual attack," the statement said.
Authorities said the teenager had referenced Rodger, who carried out a 2014 killing spree near Santa Barbara, California, in which six university students were killed after he published a manifesto expressing grievances and was later cited by other mass attackers.
Investigators said it remained unclear whether the Turkish suspect shared similar motivations.
The attacker reportedly used five pistols belonging to his father, a police officer, in the assault. The local prosecutor’s office said the father had been detained and jailed pending trial.
In a separate statement, prosecutors said a document found on the attacker’s computer, dated April 11, suggested he had planned a major attack “in the near future”.
Following the shootings, Turkish authorities have launched a wider crackdown on online content deemed to glorify violence. Police said 83 people have been detained for “glorifying crime and criminals” since the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Authorities also said access had been blocked to 940 social media accounts and 93 Telegram groups as part of the enforcement action. - April 16, 2026
