Dawn
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09:15 Apr 16, 2026
Turkiye cracked down on Thursday on social media posts praising two school shootings in two days, which have left the country reeling, ordering dozens of arrests ahead of funerals for the victims, who were mostly children. Authorities said 83 people had been detained, hundreds of accounts blocked and groups shut down after praise for the attacks — one on Tuesday, which wounded 16 people, and one on Wednesday, which killed nine and wounded 13. Eight of the dead were children aged 10 and 11, and their teacher, 55. The suspects in both cases were also killed, authorities have said. Tuesday’s attack, in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, saw an ex-student open fire at his former high school. Authorities said he took his own life when cornered by police. Wednesday’s was believed to have been carried out by a 14-year-old student who arrived at the school in the southern province of Kahramanmaras with five guns and opened fire. Authorities have said the student, the son of a former police officer, planned the a...