The man who allegedly attacked and wounded eight students who gathered this morning outside two schools in the Turkish province of Manisa has been arrested. At the time of notification, a large number of security and medical teams are at the scene of the shooting. According to the first reconstructions of the incident, it was learned that eight people were shot and that a pistol was used and not a rifle, as emerged in the first indiscretions.
The injured were taken to hospital. The suspected attacker was captured and detained by our security forces. An investigation has been launched but the motive is still unclear.
Turkey was shaken earlier this year by a school shooting by a 14-year-old in Kahramanmaras, in the south, which caused the death of a teacher and nine children aged 10 and 11. The author, the son of a retired policeman, had died at the scene. That attack – the worst school shooting in the country’s history – led to the removal from office of the deputy education minister.
Another incident occurred in the south-eastern province of Sanliurfa, where a former student opened fire in his old high school, wounding 16 people before taking his own life during a clash with police. These attacks sparked public outrage. In addition to removing the deputy education minister, the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced in April the introduction of government measures, including restrictions on the possession of firearms.
