A 15-year-old girl has been accused of stabbing eight pupils at a school in Istanbul after allegedly sneaking inside by wearing a school uniform, killing a 10-year-old girl.
Eslem Sare Bulut, 10, died in the attack, which saw eight other students injured when the 15-year-old girl from another school allegedly carried out a knife attack at Seyh Samil Imam Hatip Secondary School in Basaksehir, Istanbul, Turkey.
Details of the attack
The attack happened at around 8.40am when the suspect, identified by the initials F.M., arrived at the school carrying a knife. The 15-year-old, who attended a high school in Kucukcekmece, reportedly wore a school uniform when she went to the secondary school in the Kayabasi neighbourhood, where she lived.
She allegedly attacked pupils with a knife, injuring eight children aged between 10 and 13. Eslem was rushed to Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital, but died despite doctors' efforts to save her.
Funeral and official response
Her body was handed over to her family after post-mortem procedures and taken to Konuklu village in the Ulus district of Bartin Province, in northern Turkey, for her funeral on 7 October. As prayers were recited outside the village mosque, her father Feyzullah and mother Seyma struggled to remain on their feet.
Psychosocial support teams from the Education Ministry and the Family and Social Services Ministry were sent to comfort the grieving couple. The funeral was attended by relatives, local residents and officials, including Deputy Education Minister Celile Eren Okten, Bartin Governor Nurtac Arslan and former Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc.
After prayers at Guvendik Neighbourhood Mosque at midday, Eslem was buried in the village cemetery amid tears.
Governor's statement and investigation
Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said the suspect was a pupil at another school and had entered the premises wearing a school uniform. He said: 'She goes to a secondary school wearing a school uniform and carries out a knife attack on the children there.'
The governor also said that the authorities would continue working to improve school safety and called on families to take responsibility for their children.
The Education Ministry appointed inspectors to investigate the incident, while the Interior Ministry also assigned senior inspectors to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack.
The suspect was apprehended by school security staff and handed over to police. Her mother and father were also detained. All three were subsequently remanded in custody by a court, according to Turkish media.
