Kahramanmaraş school shooting: Mother of attacker re-arrested

A court has re-arrested Peyman Pınar Mersinli, the mother of a student involved in a fatal school shooting at Ayser Çalık Middle School in Kahramanmaraş. While she was initially released during the first hearing of the case, the Kahramanmaraş 4th High Criminal Court ordered her re-arrest following an objection by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the current state of evidence.

The attacker, İsa Aras Mersinli, carried out the shooting on April 15, 2026, resulting in the deaths of mathematics teacher Ayla Kara and nine students, while 15 others were injured. The father of the attacker, Uğur Mersinli, remains in custody. He faces charges including “attempted murder with probable intent” against 10 people and “attempted injury with probable intent” against 15 people. Peyman Pınar Mersinli faces charges of “causing the death and injury of multiple people through conscious negligence.”

Dr. İrfan Karatutlu, a member of the parliamentary commission investigating school incidents, attended the hearing. He stated that the government is closely monitoring the judicial process and working to implement measures to prevent similar tragedies. He noted that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also following the matter with high sensitivity.