Knife attack at Istanbul school injures several students, suspect detained
A 15-year-old student attacked classmates with a knife outside a school in Istanbul's Başakşehir district on Tuesday morning, injuring several.
A 15-year-old student attacked several classmates with a knife outside a secondary school in Istanbul's Başakşehir district on Tuesday morning, Turkish officials said. The suspect was detained shortly afterwards.
Istanbul's governorate said in a statement that a fight broke out between students at around 08:40 local time at the Şeyh Şamil İmam Hatip secondary school in the Kayaşehir area of Başakşehir, leaving five students injured. Several Greek and Bulgarian media outlets, citing local officials, reported a higher toll of seven or eight students hurt, three of them seriously. The school is one of Turkey's state İmam Hatip institutions, which combine a standard curriculum with religious education.
The injured were taken by ambulance to Başakşehir Çam ve Sakura City Hospital, Greek outlet OmegaLive reported, and medical teams were sent to the school. Most of the injured students were aged around 10 and 11, Turkish broadcaster Habertürk reported. Other pupils left the school building and classes were suspended for the day, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported.
The suspect attends a different school, a vocational high school in Istanbul's Küçükçekmece district, and is accused of bringing a knife from home before attacking students at the secondary school while wearing her own school's uniform, Greek outlet in.gr reported. According to an initial statement from the suspect's mother, cited by in.gr, the girl has a social anxiety disorder. Her motive has not yet been established, and both judicial and administrative investigations have been opened, Greek outlet OmegaLive reported.
Turkey's broadcasting regulator, RTÜK, has banned further publication of news material related to the case until the investigation is complete, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported.
What we know
- A 15-year-old student attacked classmates with a knife outside a secondary school in Istanbul's Başakşehir district on Tuesday morning.
- Istanbul's governorate said five students were injured; several media outlets reported seven or eight hurt, three seriously.
- The suspect, who attends a different school, was detained after the attack.
- Turkey's media regulator has banned further reporting on the case pending investigation.
Not yet confirmed
- The motive behind the attack.
- The exact number of students injured: officials say five, media reports say seven or eight.
Why it matters for Europe
The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents at Turkish schools in recent weeks. In late September, a teacher was shot dead by his nephew in a school yard in Osmaniye, in southern Turkey, and a few days earlier a 15-year-old opened fire outside a vocational school in Turgutlu, in Manisa province, injuring eleven people. The repeated incidents have put pressure on Turkish authorities to tighten security at schools. Tuesday's attack happened as students arrived for the school day, and led authorities to suspend classes at the affected school while both a judicial and an administrative investigation got under way.
Sources
Reported by 7 reports from 7 independent outlets in 4 countries.
- 24 Chasa: Нападение с нож в училище в Истанбул, петима ученици са в болница
- OmegaLive: Μια 15χρονη μαχαίρωσε και τραυμάτισε οκτώ μαθήτριες σε γυμνάσιο της Κωνσταντινούπολης – Σε σοβαρή κατάσταση οι τρεις
- Iefimerida: Τουρκία: Επίθεση με μαχαίρι σε γυμνάσιο -Επτά τραυματίες, οι τρεις σε σοβαρή κατάσταση, συνελήφθη μαθητής
- MIA: Тинејџерка нападна со нож ученички во училиште во Истанбул, три девојчиња се борат за живот
- Creta24: Κωνσταντινούπολη: 15χρονη μαχαίρωσε επτά μαθήτριες έξω από σχολείο, σε σοβαρή κατάσταση οι τρεις
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- How many students were injured in the Istanbul school knife attack?
- Istanbul's governorate said five students were hurt, though several media outlets reported seven or eight injured, three of them seriously.
- Who carried out the attack?
- A 15-year-old student from a different school, who was detained shortly after the attack, officials said.
- Where did the attack happen?
- Outside the Şeyh Şamil İmam Hatip secondary school in Istanbul's Başakşehir district.
This article was written with AI assistance from 7 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.