One dead, seven wounded in Istanbul school knife attack

ISTANBUL – One child died after a teenage girl stabbed eight students at a school in Istanbul on Oct 6, Turkey’s interior ministry said.

The attack took place at a middle school in the city’s north-western Basaksehir district at around 8.40am local time, officials said.

Eight girls were wounded, one of whom died of her injuries.

“One of the students receiving treatment... died despite all medical efforts to save her. Treatment is continuing for the seven other wounded students,” a ministry statement said on social media platform X.

Police detained the suspected attacker, described by officials as a 15-year-old 10th-grade student from another school.

Middle school students are typically aged between 10 and 14.

Writing on social media platform X, Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu earlier said of the eight wounded, there was “one in critical condition and two in moderate-to-serious condition”.

Speaking to reporters, Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said the attacker, who was wearing a school uniform, had stabbed the youngsters at random.

“The student who carried out the attack lives in the same neighbourhood and attends a different school. She entered the premises wearing a school uniform and stabbed the children indiscriminately,” he said.

Basaksehir District Governor Cemil Ozgur Onegi said the attack was carried out by a high school student.

In September, a teenager opened fire outside a school in western Turkey, wounding 11 pupils, three of whom were seriously hurt, before being arrested.

In April, there were two back-to-back shooting attacks by teenagers on consecutive days in southern Turkey that shocked the nation and sparked public concerns about security in Turkish schools. AFP