Eight schoolgirls, aged between 10 and 13, were injured in a reported knife attack at an Istanbul middle school on the morning of October 6. The incident took place at around 8.40am local time at Şehit Şamil İmam Hatip Middle School in the Başakşehir district's Kayabaşı neighbourhood.
Suspect detained after uniform-clad attack
A female high school student has been detained in connection with the attack. Initial reports suggest she entered the school wearing its uniform before the stabbing. The suspect, from the Küçükçekmece district, had previously attended the school.
Turkey's Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu stated on X that the health of all eight victims is being closely monitored at local hospitals. He wrote: "I extend my wishes for a speedy recovery to our students and their families who were injured in the fight that took place at one of our middle schools in Başakşehir."
One victim in critical condition
"The treatments of our 8 injured individuals affected by the incident - 1 in critical condition and 2 in moderate to severe condition - are continuing in our hospitals, and we are closely monitoring their health status. I wish them prompt healing," the minister added.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gül told the press that the attacker, dressed in a school uniform, had stabbed the young girls "indiscriminately". He said: "Five of pupils sustained minor injuries, they are likely to be discharged later today. Two are in a serious condition. One is currently undergoing surgery. The pupil who carried out the attack lives in the same neighbourhood and attends a different school."
Recent shootings raise safety concerns
A spate of recent school-related shootings has amplified concerns over safety within Turkey's education system. Just last month, a teenager opened fire outside a school in the country's west, wounding 11 students, three of whom were seriously injured, before being apprehended.
This incident followed two separate shootings by teenage assailants on back-to-back days in southern Turkey in April. Those events fuelled public discourse around security protocols in and around schools.
