Istanbul knife attack by 15-year-old student leaves up to seven injured at middle school

Morning attack in Basaksehir

A knife attack occurred on the morning of Tuesday, 6 October 2026, at Seyh Samil Imam Hatip Middle School in the Kayasehir neighborhood of Istanbul's western district of Basaksehir. The incident began around 08:35 following a dispute among students on the school grounds. The suspect, identified as a 15-year-old 10th-grade student from Fahrettin Kerim Gokay Anatolian High School in neighboring Kucukcekmece, travelled to the middle school campus wearing her own high school uniform. She had armed herself with a knife taken from her home before confronting students outside the facility.

Discrepancies in official casualty tolls

Emergency medical teams and police units arrived at the school shortly after emergency calls were placed. Paramedics administered first aid on the scene before transporting the injured students by ambulance to Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital for further medical treatment. Most of the victims attacked during the incident were young students aged 10 and 11. Initial hospital updates indicated that three of the wounded girls sustained serious injuries requiring intensive medical care.

Local administrative bodies provided conflicting accounts regarding the total casualty count and nature of the confrontation. Basaksehir District Governor Cemil Ozgur Onegi confirmed that seven female students had suffered stab wounds during the assault.

At around 08:35, at Seyh Samil Imam Hatip Middle School in the Kayasehir area of our district, seven of our students were injured in a knife attack carried out by a 10th-grade student from the Fahrettin Kerim Gokay Anatolian High School of Kucukcekmece.

The Istanbul Governorship issued a separate announcement describing the event as a student altercation and listing a total of five injured children.

On Tuesday, 6 October 2026, at approximately 08:40, a fight broke out between students at a middle school in the Basaksehir district, resulting in five students being injured.

Suspect detention and police response

Law enforcement officers arrested the 15-year-old suspect at the school grounds and took her into custody. Police investigators initiated an examination of the suspect's background, recent contacts, and activities preceding the attack to clarify her motive. In an initial statement given to investigators, the suspect's mother stated that her daughter had been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. As news of the stabbing spread, an atmosphere of intense concern developed among parents, many of whom rushed directly to the school gates to verify the safety of their children. Police subsequently established security cordons around the perimeter to restore order.

Context of recent school violence

The stabbing in Basaksehir occurred roughly two weeks after another violent episode at a Turkish educational facility. In that earlier incident, a 15-year-old suspect opened fire with a firearm outside a vocational high school in the Turgutlu district of Manisa, injuring 11 students. In Istanbul, judicial and administrative authorities have opened formal investigations into the Basaksehir incident, with prosecutors and education officials working to establish the full sequence of events.