What happened in the Istanbul attack and who carried out the Reina nightclub shooting on New Year’s Eve? Here’s what we know
ISTANBUL'S New Year's celebrations descended into horror when a gunman went on the rampage at one of the Turkish city's most glamorous nightclubs, killing 39 people.
The massacre, which has been claimed by ISIS, took place just 75 minutes into 2017 and also left a reported 69 people in hospital.
Turkish security forces captured and arrested the alleged attacker on Monday 16 January.
Here's all we know so far about what happened in the shooting and who carried it out:
What happened in the Istanbul attack?
At least 600 revellers were celebrating at the exclusive Reina nightclub in the early hours of New Year's Day when the attack took place.
The gunman arrived by taxi and produced a weapon, reportedly a Kalashnikov, from the boot before shooting dead a policeman and civilian at the entrance.
In a seven-minute rampage, he then reportedly fired up to 180 bullets at random before fleeing the devastation.
Dramatic footage captured the moment the gunman opened fire, showing bullets pinging off cars as she shot his way through the street outside.
Distressing images later showed the aftermath of the massacre, with the bloodied bodies of the victims piled on top of each other.
According to reports, terrified partygoers leapt into the freezing waters of the Bosphorous river to escape the horrific scenes.
Of the 39 people who died in the carnage, 12 were Turkish and the other 27 were foreigners who had visited the swanky club to count down to 2017 in style.
They included three Lebanese nationals, two Jordanians and three Iraqis, officials in their respective countries said. At least one German was killed.
A Canadian woman, a Russian woman and a teenage Arab Israeli woman were also among dead. Turkish press reports said at least seven Saudi nationals died but this has yet to be confirmed by Riyadh.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released on January 2.
The terrorist group said: “In continuation of the blessed operations that Islamic State is conducting against the protector of the cross, Turkey, a heroic soldier of the caliphate struck one of the most famous nightclubs where the Christians celebrate their apostate holiday.”
It is the first time they have made a clear, undisputed claim for an attack in Turkey, although they have been blamed for other major strikes on its largest city.
World leaders rushed to condemn the nightclub shooting, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying it was "hard to imagine a crime more cynical than the killing of civilians during a New Year's celebration".
The White House denounced 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.
The horrific attack follows a bloody 2016 for Turkey, in which hundreds of people were killed in violence blamed both on ISIS and Kurdish militants.
What do we know about the gunman?
It was initially reported that the killer entered the nightclub wearing a Santa hat, based on early CCTV footage of the attack.
However, the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim has said there was no truth to the reports.
It later emerged that the alleged suspect had 'recorded a video selfie' in Istanbul’s Takim Square before the attack.
A Turkish newspaper also published a new CCTV image of the alleged suspect.
The unnamed shooter is described as being from East Turkestan, Afghanistan or Chechnya.
After changing clothes, the attacker fled the nightclub and managed to avoid security forces amid the chaotic scenes.
A major manhunt has been launched for the gunman. The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that Istanbul anti-terrorism squads have arrested eight people in connection with the the attack, but the gunman was not among them.
According to the Hurriyet newspaper, he may be linked to the same ISIS cell that in June carried out a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport that left 47 people dead.
Police have released an image of the man they suspect of being the gunman, after another man was falsely named as the killer.
Naim Sadakat took to Facebook to clear his name, indicating in his social media post that he had given a statement to police to distance himself from the incident.
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