Teen Charged in Istanbul School Stabbing That Killed a 10-Year-Old; Her Parents Are Jailed Too

A Turkish court on Wednesday ordered a 15-year-old girl held in custody after a knife attack at an Istanbul middle school that killed a 10-year-old student and wounded seven other girls. In an unusual step, the court also jailed the teenager's mother and father.

What happened

The attack happened at about 8:40 a.m. Tuesday at Kayaşehir Şeyh Şamil Imam Hatip Middle School in the Başakşehir district on Istanbul's northwestern edge, according to officials quoted by AFP and the German news agency DPA. Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said the attacker lived in the same neighborhood, attended a different school, and walked in wearing a school uniform before stabbing children "indiscriminately."

All eight victims were girls. Turkish newspaper Sabah reported they were between 10 and 13 years old, and that the attacker was a former student of the school who brought two knives. A school security guard stopped her and held her until police arrived, according to Sabah and SEE News.

Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu initially said one child was in critical condition and two had moderate to serious injuries. That critically injured girl, 10-year-old Eslem Sare Bulut, died after surgery, Sabah reported. The Interior Ministry said she "died despite all efforts" to save her, and that the other seven were still being treated.

Charges and the parents' arrest

After questioning by prosecutors, the 15-year-old, identified in Turkish media only by her initials, was formally arrested by a court on Wednesday. Broadcaster NTV reported that her mother and father were arrested as well, on a charge of violating obligations under family law, a Turkish criminal offense that covers parents' duties toward their children. Officials have not publicly laid out what the parents are accused of doing or failing to do.

Police have not announced a motive. SEE News reported that authorities had found no sign the attack was political or ideological. Sabah reported that a court had imposed a broadcast ban limiting coverage of the investigation, so many details may stay out of public view for now.

A year of school violence

The Education Ministry opened judicial and administrative investigations, assigned inspectors, and sent counselors to support students, teachers and parents. Classes at the school were suspended Tuesday and Wednesday.

School safety has been a growing worry in Turkey this year. DPA noted that a rare school shooting in the eastern province of Kahramanmaraş in April left 11 people dead, including a teacher and the student who carried out the attack.