Turkey: Several pupils injured in shooting outside school

On Tuesday morning, a gunman opened fire outside a high school in Turgutlu, western Turkey, injuring eight people before being apprehended by police, according to local officials. The attack took place around 8am in the Manisa province, close to the western resort city of Izmir. School shootings are uncommon in Turkey, but two incidents occurred in April, prompting widespread outrage.

Reports indicated that students were among the wounded, and police and rescuers swiftly arrived at the scene. CCTV footage showed the alleged attacker, a young man dressed in black jeans, a black jacket, and a green top, carrying a rifle. Images of the same individual running were also broadcast by IHA news agency. Outside the school, police restrained a man in a white shirt until he was led away, with spectators pressing against the school fence and filming the incident with their mobile phones.

An investigation into the incident has been launched by authorities. This attack occurred five months after two consecutive school shootings in southern Turkey, which raised concerns about school security. In one incident, a 14-year-old killed a teacher and nine students in April, while the other attacker shot 16 people before killing himself a day earlier in Sanliurfa.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan subsequently dismissed a deputy education minister and vowed to prioritize school safety. Security measures, including the deployment of 31,000 school grounds supervisors and the assignment of police officers to high-risk schools, have been implemented following the April shootings.