Turkey School Shooting: 14-Year-Old Killer Inspired by US Misogynist Elliot Rodger

A 14-year-old student killed nine people at a school in the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaras on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in an attack that investigators believe may have been motivated by misogynistic ideology. The victims included eight children — five boys and three girls — aged between 10 and 11, and a 55-year-old teacher, according to a list of death notices published by the Kahramanmaras municipality. Thirteen others were wounded. The shooter, who entered two classrooms and opened fire at random after arriving at school with weapons concealed in his backpack, also died at the scene, though Kahramanmaras Governor Mükerrem Ünlüer said it remained unclear whether his death was a suicide or occurred in the chaos of the attack. Funerals for the nine victims were scheduled for Thursday, April 16.

Incel figurehead's image found on shooter's phone Turkish police announced that investigators found an image referencing Elliot Rodger on the shooter's WhatsApp profile, pointing investigators toward a possible misogynistic motive. „Initial findings from the investigation revealed that the perpetrator used an image on his WhatsApp profile referencing Elliot Rodger, who carried out an attack in the United States in 2014.” — Turkish Police General Directorate via France 24 Rodger killed six people on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, before taking his own life in 2014, and had explained in a video released before his crime that the attack was "punishment" for the women who had rejected him. His name has since become a reference point for violent misogynistic ideologies circulating online, particularly within the incel movement. Turkish police stated that, based on initial findings, no link to terrorism had been established and the act appeared to be isolated. The shooter's father, identified as a former police inspector, was arrested on Wednesday and placed in pretrial detention, as authorities believe the weapons used likely belonged to him. Digital devices seized during searches of the family home and the father's vehicle were confiscated and are being analyzed, police said.

9 (people killed) — victims of the Kahramanmaras school shooting

School shootings have been rare in Turkey, though the country faces a significant problem with illegal firearms. According to estimates from a local foundation cited in multiple reports, tens of millions of firearms circulate in Turkey, the majority of them illegally, a situation that has repeatedly concerned authorities. The Kahramanmaras attack took place at the Ayser Çalik Secondary School and targeted fifth-grade classrooms, the first year of Turkish lower secondary education.

Second school shooting in Turkey within 48 hours The Kahramanmaras attack came just one day after a separate shooting at a vocational school in the Siverek district of Sanliurfa province, located approximately 200 kilometers further east. In that incident on Tuesday, April 14, an 18-year-old student wounded 16 people — 10 students and four teachers — before killing himself. The two attacks in rapid succession sent shockwaves across Turkey and triggered protests, with dozens of members of the main teachers' unions gathering Wednesday evening outside the education ministry in Ankara. Union members carried banners reading "We will not surrender our schools to violence" and called for a two-day strike across the country. Schools in Kahramanmaras were ordered to remain closed on Thursday and Friday following the attack. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed sadness over what he described as a "tragic attack."

Authorities block hundreds of accounts glorifying the attacks Turkish police moved swiftly against online content linked to the two shootings, ordering arrests for 83 individuals accused of posting material that glorified the crimes or negatively affected public order. „Arrest orders were issued for 83 individuals found to have engaged in posts and activities praising crime and criminals and negatively affecting public order, and legal action has been taken against them.” — Turkish Police General Directorate via France 24 In addition to the arrests, authorities blocked access to 940 social media accounts and shut down 93 Telegram groups. Governor Mükerrem Ünlüer also addressed misinformation spreading online, stating that reports of attacks at other schools "do not conform to reality" and that "unfounded news is circulating on social networks." The dual incidents have reignited debate in Turkey about the prevalence of illegal firearms and the spread of violent extremist ideologies among young people through online platforms.

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