Moment terrorist dressed as Santa guns down 39 in Istanbul nightclub in New Year’s Eve massacre
POLICE are hunting for a gunman in a Santa outfit who massacred 39 people in a nightclub packed with New Year's Eve revellers in Istanbul.
Terrified partygoers reportedly leapt into the freezing waters of the Bosphorous to escape as the gunman went on the rampage at the celebrity Reina nightclub.
Police said at least 24 of the dead are foreigners from countries including Canada, Belgium, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Libya and Lebanon. At least 69 people were also wounded.
British tourists in Turkey have been warned to be on their guard as cops hunt the gunman.
The attacker — who may have had an accomplice — shot and killed a police officer outside the venue before forcing his way inside to go on his bloody rampage.
Dramatic footage captured the moment the gunman opened fire, showing bullets pinging off cars as she shot his way through the street outside.
As many as 700 people had been inside the club at the time of the attack, which happened at around 1.20am local time.
Governor Vasip Sahin said: "Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun."
A massive manhunt has now been launched for the gunman.
Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said: "The search for the terrorist continues... I hope [the killer] will be captured quickly, God willing.
"This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery.";
Mehmet Dag, 22, was passing by the club and saw the suspect shoot at a police officer and a bystander.
He told how the gunman then targeted security, gunning them down before entering the club.
Mehmet said: "Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds, and after two minutes the sound of an explosion."
Eyewitness Sinem Uyanik said she saw several bodies inside the nightclub and her husband Lutfu Uyanik was wounded in the attack, but is expected to survive.
"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said, speaking outside Istanbul's Sisli Hospital.
"I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out."
A young Turkish footballer was one of those caught up in the carnage, narrowly managing to escape with his life.
Sefa Boydas, who plays for Istanbul club Beylerbeyi SK, told how he arrived at the venue just ten minutes before the attack.
He described walking over bodies as he carried his girlfriend who had fainted to safety.
He said: "They say 35 to 40 died but it’s probably more because when I was walking, people were walking on top of people."
Police with riot gear and automatic weapons, backed up by armoured vehicles, quickly sealed off the area around the Reina nightclub – one of the most popular nightspots in Istanbul.
Dramatic pictures showed an army of ambulances with their blue lights flashing arriving on the scene to ferry away the wounded to hospital.
Survivors were seen hugging each other and crying in the street, while others were sick.
Relatives and friends of those who had been at the club also began to flock to the area as news of the horrific attack spread.
More details are now beginning to emerge about the victims of the massacre, including the police officer who was shot outside the club.
Turkish media reports have named Burak Yildiz, 21, as the tragic officer who died protecting the club, reporting that had only been in the job for 12 months.
And an 18-year-old Israeli woman became the first foreign victim to be named after a statement from Israel's foreign ministry.
Leanne Nasser from the Israeli-Arab town of Tira was celebrating with three pals at the Reina nightclub when the gunman broke in and opened fire.
Her friend Ruaa Mansour, also 18, was wounded in the attack, while the other two managed to escape unharmed.
State-run Anadolu news agency also identified a female security guard working at the club who was among those killed.
Hatice Karcilar, 29, reportedly leaves a husband and three-year-old daughter behind.
Her body was taken to her hometown on the coast of the Marmara Sea after being identified by her family.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said today that Turkey would fight to the end against all forms of attack by terror groups and their backers.
"As a nation, we will fight to the end against not just the armed attacks of terror groups and the forces behind them, but also against their economic, political and social attacks," Erdogan said in a written statement.
"They are trying to create chaos, demoralise our people, and destabilise our country with abominable attacks which target civilians ... We will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games," he added.
The White House condemned the "horrific terrorist attack" and offered US help to Turkey.
Spokesman Eric Schultz said President Barack Obama, who is on holiday in Hawaii with his family, was briefed on the attack by his national security team.
White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the attack on "innocent revellers" showed the savagery of the perpetrators.
Price sent thoughts and prayers to the relatives of those killed, adding that the US supported Turkey – its Nato ally – as both countries continue to battle against terror.
Security in the city had been heightened ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations with around 17,000 police officers on duty.
Turkey has been rocked by a series of deadly terror attacks in 2016 carried out by the ISIS and Kurdish militants, killing more than 180 people.
On December 10, a double bomb attack outside a soccer stadium near the Reina nightclub killed 44 people and wounded 149 others.
The attack was claimed by Turkey-based Kurdish militant group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons.
Nine days later, an off-duty Turkish riot policeman assassinated Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition in the capital, Ankara.
The government claimed US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the killing – an accusation the cleric has denied.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead with its fight against violent groups.
"Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror," Bozdag said on Twitter.
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