16.04.2026 17:20
The statement of the parent who stopped the attacker in the school attack in Kahramanmaraş has emerged. The parent, who heard the gunshots and ran to the school, explained that he intervened with a knife to prevent the attacker from escaping.
New details have emerged regarding the incident in which 14-year-old İsa Aras Mersinli, who carried out an armed attack on the school he attended in Kahramanmaraş, killed 9 people and injured 20. It was learned that the attacker was stopped by a parent named Necmettin Bekçi, whose children attend the same school and who works as a cook at another institution.
"I RAN TO THE SCHOOL WHEN I HEARD GUNSHOTS" Bekçi, who gave a statement to the investigation units, described what he experienced on the day of the incident. Stating that his youngest daughter was taken to school by his wife around 12:30, Bekçi said, "Around 1:30 p.m., while I was sitting at home, I heard sounds from outside resembling gunshots or hammering. At first, I thought it was coming from a construction site. However, as the sounds increased, I went out to the balcony. When I saw school students jumping out of windows and fleeing, I understood the sounds were coming from the school. Since my children were at school, I immediately ran to the school."
"WHEN I WENT UP THE STAIRS..." Explaining that he entered through the school's back door, Bekçi said, "When I went up the stairs, I saw a person lying on the floor and people trying to hold him. People I thought were the canteen worker Ümit and two teachers were trying to neutralize the attacker. I also went over to them to prevent him from harming others. He had long hair and a hood. I thought he was 25-30 years old. He was large and tall; I couldn't see his face."
Necmettin Bekçi "I INTERVENED WITH A KNIFE TO PREVENT HIM FROM ESCAPING" Bekçi stated that the attacker was trying to break free, saying, "I swung once towards his leg with a knife I don't remember where I got it from. My aim was to prevent him from escaping and harming others."
HELP WAS PROVIDED TO THE INJURED Bekçi, who said that police and citizens arrived at the scene, stated, "We started taking the injured children outside. Ambulances had arrived. I picked up my daughter from the kindergarten class, and my son had already gone home."
"MY SON HID IN THE TOILET" Also describing his son's experience, Bekçi said, "My son locked himself in the toilet and hid when he heard the gunshots. He later came home. Two of his classmates lost their lives." Bekçi added that he left the knife he used during the incident at the scene and could not remember all the details clearly due to the shock he experienced.
THE SCALE OF THE TRAGEDY COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN GREATER Experts assess that the intervention made by cook Necmettin Bekçi against the attacker prevented an even greater disaster. It is stated that the brave intervention shown in those moments limited the loss of life. This courage displayed by Necmettin Bekçi was interpreted as "a father's instinct to protect his child and other children, regardless of his profession."