MANISA, Turkey – At least 11 people have been injured after an armed assailant opened fire outside the İnci Üzmez Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Turkey’s western province of Manisa on Tuesday morning, prompting an emergency security lockdown before the suspect was apprehended by law enforcement, regional administrative authorities confirmed on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
The shooting erupted at approximately 8:00 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT) in the Turgutlu district as students, faculty, and administrative staff were arriving at the premises to begin morning classes, creating widespread panic across the surrounding residential corridor.
Okay News reports that emergency medical services rushed multiple victims to nearby tertiary hospitals, with provincial health officials confirming that two of the injured remain in intensive care units in critical condition.
Closed-circuit television footage circulating on social media showed an armed male navigating a thoroughfare adjacent to the campus wielding a firearm before fleeing the immediate perimeter as the initial burst of gunfire ceased.
The Manisa Governor’s Office confirmed that police operatives intercepted and detained the suspected gunman shortly after the assault, taking him into custody alongside family members for forensic interrogation while judicial authorities opened formal criminal proceedings.
Local media reports indicated that the detained shooter is a 15-year-old male student enrolled at the vocational facility, though law enforcement agencies have refrained from officially verifying the suspect’s identity or disclosing a motive behind the attack.
Reacting to the violence, Turkey’s Ministry of National Education issued a dispatch condemning the shooting and expressing solidarity with the injured pupils, teachers, and their families.
“The incident has deeply saddened our nation, and our educational community in particular,” the education ministry stated, announcing that three national chief inspectors have been dispatched to Manisa to conduct a comprehensive administrative investigation into security measures around the school.
The incident follows recent nationwide debates over school perimeter safety and firearms regulations in Turkey, with federal and provincial authorities moving to step up static police posts and weapon-screening protocols across secondary academic institutions nationwide.
