Four public officials have been suspended after a shotgun attack at a high school in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa left 16 people injured, as new details emerged about prior threats made by the attacker, local media reported on April 15.
The 19-year-old assailant, identified as a former student who had switched to open education in the ninth grade, entered the Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical High School in the morning hours armed with a shotgun and opened fire randomly on April 14.
He later killed himself with the same shotgun.
Out of 16 people who were wounded in the attack, seven have since been discharged, while nine remain hospitalized, including three in critical condition.
Officials announced that two district police chiefs and two local education administrators have been removed from duty pending an ongoing investigation.
One additional suspect has also been detained as part of the investigation.
Newly uncovered social media posts revealed that the attacker had issued explicit threats days before the shooting, according to local media reports.
In messages sent to the school’s social media accounts, he warned, “Be ready, there will be an attack in a few days.”
In other posts, he wrote, “I will eliminate all of you,” and “50 people on the day of the attack. You will be the first to go, principal,” indicating both premeditation and specific targets.
Footage from security cameras showed the attacker moving through school corridors with the weapon, loading it and firing, while students attempted to barricade themselves inside classrooms.
The Interior Ministry said a wide-ranging investigation is underway, while the Education Ministry has assigned a chief inspector and an inspector to examine the incident. Education at the school has been suspended for four days.
The attack has also triggered a nationwide response from education unions, which announced work stoppages across Türkiye starting April 15.
The strikes, expected to last between one and two days depending on the union, aim to protest rising violence in schools and to demand stronger safety measures.
