Turkish police announced today the detention of 83 individuals suspected of disturbing public order by spreading hate messages online that glorified two recent school shootings.
“Arrest warrants were issued for 83 people who engaged in posts and activities glorifying crimes and criminals, negatively affecting public order, and legal proceedings have been opened against them,” the official statement read.
On Wednesday, a 14-year-old student shot and killed nine people before dying himself—with authorities still clarifying if it was a suicide—at a school in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey. The attack was allegedly a copycat of a misogynistic shooting that occurred in the United States.
Read more about this topic: Turkey: nine killed in school shooting (with video)
“Initial findings of the investigation revealed that the perpetrator used a profile image on WhatsApp referring to Elliot Rodger, the author of a 2014 attack in the U.S.,” according to the Turkish National Police. Elliot Rodger killed six people in Isla Vista, California, in an act he described in a video as “punishment” for women who had rejected him.
The victims in Kahramanmaras included five boys and three girls, aged between 10 and 11, and a 55-year-old teacher. Funeral ceremonies are scheduled for today. This tragedy followed an incident just one day prior, where an 18-year-old student wounded 16 people—including 10 students and four teachers—at a vocational school in Sanliurfa province before committing suicide.
