The father of a teenager accused of carrying out a deadly school shooting in southern Turkey on Wednesday told police that his son had shown a growing interest in firearms, had asked repeatedly about using them and had recently visited a shooting range, the pro-government Yeni Şafak daily reported, citing a police statement.
The suspect, identified as 14-year-old İsa Aras Mersinli, is accused of killing nine people, including eight children and one teacher, in an attack at Ayser Çalık Middle School in the Onikişubat district of Kahramanmaraş province. He also died during the incident.
A total of 13 people were injured in the attack, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said on Wednesday, adding that six of the wounded were in intensive care, three of whom were in critical condition.
The attack has shocked Turkey, where mass school shootings are rare, and prompted heightened security measures at schools across the country.
Prosecutors have launched a wide-ranging investigation into how the teenager obtained the weapons he had on his person and whether there were warning signs that were missed.
His father, Uğur Mersinli, a police officer, was detained on Wednesday and later arrested as part of the investigation, raising further questions about access to firearms and oversight.
In his testimony the father said his son had developed a noticeable curiosity about guns in recent weeks, asking when he would be allowed to try shooting and pointing out that his friends had already done so.
About a month ago, he said, he noticed his son attempting to handle a firearm that had been briefly left unattended at home, prompting him to warn him about the responsibilities associated with weapons.
The father said he tried to temper his son’s interest by talking about rules and restrictions around gun ownership in Turkey and by suggesting that access to firearms would depend on his future conduct and education.
Turkey has strict gun laws that require licensing, registration, mental and criminal background checks and harsh penalties for illegal possession.
He also recalled a conversation in which his son compared Turkey to the United States, saying that “everyone can buy a gun” there.
Earlier in the week, the father said, he took his son to a police shooting range, where the teenager fired several rounds under supervision.
As the investigation expanded, prosecutors said there were indications the attack may have been premeditated.
In a statement on Thursday the Kahramanmaraş prosecutor’s office said a document dated April 11, 2026, was found on the suspect’s computer during a review of digital materials, suggesting that he intended to carry out a “major” attack in the near future.
Father says weapons used in attack belonged to him
In a further statement to police, the father acknowledged that the firearms and ammunition used in the attack belonged to him.
“The weapons and bullets used by my son İsa Aras in the incident belong to me,” he said, adding that he legally owned seven licensed handguns and two hunting rifles.
He said his son had taken five of those weapons to the school on the day of the attack.
Earlier on Wednesday Kahramanmaraş Governor Mükerrem Ünlüer told reporters that attacker came to school with multiple firearms believed to belong to his father, entered two classrooms and opened fire at random.
The governor said the attacker was carrying five guns and seven magazines, adding that authorities suspect the weapons may have been taken from his father.
The father told police that the firearms were kept in the bedroom inside locked storage cabinets, with ammunition stored separately and magazines not attached to the weapons.
Yet, he said he did not know how his son managed to access the guns on the day of the attack.
“He must have learned how to open the cabinets,” the father said, adding that they were always locked and suggesting his son may have figured out how to open them on his own, possibly by using information found online.
Turkish authorities have not yet clarified the full circumstances under which the suspect accessed the weapons, with an investigation ongoing.
The father also told police that his son had been dealing with stress related to school and adolescence and had recently been seeing a private psychologist, who warned that the boy might face difficulties adapting socially and could require psychiatric treatment over time.
Earlier consultations with psychologists in the police department did not identify serious concerns and described the boy as highly intelligent, he said.
According to the father, his son spent time playing online interactive games and would often turn them off when family members entered the room, behavior the family did not initially consider unusual.
Teacher describes suspect as withdrawn, socially isolated
A teacher who asked not to be named described the Mersinli as withdrawn and largely isolated from his friends, saying he regularly attended school but showed little engagement in class, according to Turkish media.
“He was always there physically, but very different during lessons,” the teacher said. “While other students listened, he wouldn’t. He would put his head down on the desk. Sometimes he had a notebook and would write or scribble for hours. That was his most noticeable trait.”
The teacher said Mersinli had almost no social circle and spent breaks alone. “He would walk around by himself. I never saw him interacting with others in the yard or park,” the teacher said.
“He wasn’t a very typical child,” the teacher added. “It’s hard to explain, but he had a different demeanor. He was very closed off.”
School shootings in Turkey had been rare until this week.
Wednesday’s tragedy came following a similar incident on Tuesday when an ex-student opened fire a shotgun at his former high school in the Siverek district of Şanlıurfa province, wounding 16 people before killing himself in a showdown with police. Ten students were among the casualties.
In May 2024 a former student killed a private high school principal in İstanbul with a firearm five months after he was expelled.