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Isis claims responsibility for Istanbul nightclub attack Isis claims responsibility for Istanbul nightclub attack
(35 minutes later)
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a gun attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people during New Year’s Eve celebrations. The Turkish military said it had carried out raids against Islamic State in Syria as the militant group claimed responsibility for a gun attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Citing the Turkish Chief of General Staff’s office, the state-run Anadolu news agency said Turkish jets had struck eight Isis targets in Syria since the attack in the Reina nightclub while tanks and artillery had fired upon 103 targets near Al Bab, killing 22 fighters.
The gunman who opened fire on the dancefloor of the Reina nightclub in Turkey’s largest city, killing partygoers from 12 different countries, is still at large and believed to be from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.The gunman who opened fire on the dancefloor of the Reina nightclub in Turkey’s largest city, killing partygoers from 12 different countries, is still at large and believed to be from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.
Wielding a long-barrelled weapon and dressed in black, the man entered the venue just over an hour into the new year and launched a seven-minute attack in which 70 people were also injured. Wielding a long-barrelled weapon and dressed in black, the man killed a police officer and another person to enter the club, where he fired with an automatic rifle at an estimated 600 people in a seven-minute attack in which 69 people were also injured. Reports said 180 bullets were fired.
Isis said in a statement on Monday: “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.” An Isis statement that described Turkey as a “protector of the cross” said the gunman “struck one of the most famous nightclubs where the Christians celebrate their apostate holiday.”
Police had established similarities with the suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport in June and were investigating whether the same Isis cell could have carried out both atrocities, the Turkish newspapers Karar and Hürriyet reported. Turkish media reports said police had established similarities with the suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport in June and were investigating whether the same Isis cell could have carried out both atrocities.
The gunman killed a police officer and another man outside the club before entering and firing with an automatic rifle at an estimated 600 people inside.
Istanbul’s governor, Vasip Şahin, told reporters on Sunday: “At 1.15am, a terrorist carrying a long-barrelled weapon martyred the police officer waiting outside, and then martyred another citizen to enter. He then carried out this violent and cruel act by spraying bullets on innocent people who were celebrating the new year.”
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as revellers attempted to flee. Some threw themselves into the waters of the Bosphorus to escape the gunfire.Witnesses described scenes of chaos as revellers attempted to flee. Some threw themselves into the waters of the Bosphorus to escape the gunfire.
Outside Şişli Etfal hospital, Sinem Uyanık said she had been at the club with her husband, who was wounded in the attack. “Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me,” she told the Associated Press. “I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out. It was frightening.” She said her husband’s condition was not serious. Nearly two-thirds of the dead in the upmarket club, which is frequented by local celebrities, were foreigners. Anadolu, citing unidentified Turkish justice ministry officials, said 38 of the 39 had been identified.
Nearly two-thirds of the dead in the upmarket club, which is frequented by local celebrities, were foreigners, the Anadolu news agency said. Many of them were from the Middle East. It said 11 of those killed were Turkish nationals and one was a Turkish-Belgium dual citizen. A further seven victims were from Saudi Arabia; three were from Lebanon and Iraq each; two nationals were from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan each. Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia each lost one citizen.
It was unclear how the attacker managed to escape from the club, which is just across the street from a police station. One report suggested he had abandoned his weapon and mingled with the crowd outside, pretending to be an injured civilian. The German foreign ministry said on Monday that two Bavaria residents, one a Turkish national and one a dual Turkish-German citizen, had died in the attack.
Turkey’s prime minister, Binali Yıldırım, said an investigation into the identity of the gunman was ongoing, but he was not prepared to share details yet. It remains unclear how the attacker managed to escape from the club, which is just across the street from a police station. One report suggested he had abandoned his weapon and mingled with the crowd outside, pretending to be an injured civilian.
There was conflicting information on Sunday evening about the identities of the foreigners who were killed in the attack. Selin Doğan, an opposition politician from Istanbul who toured the hospitals and the morgue at the forensic institute, said the dead included citizens from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Tunisia, Kuwait and Israel, as well as a Belgian-Turkish dual national and a Canadian-Iraqi. The Jordanian foreign ministry said three of its citizens were also killed in the attack.
Among the victims were a Tunisian couple and twins from Saudi Arabia. Doğan said the dead all had gunshot wounds, and that 11 bodies had been delivered to their families.
The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts last year in Turkey, which is a Nato member and a partner in the US-led coalition fighting Isis in Syria and Iraq. There were a number of bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul that authorities blamed on Isis, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the south-east.The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts last year in Turkey, which is a Nato member and a partner in the US-led coalition fighting Isis in Syria and Iraq. There were a number of bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul that authorities blamed on Isis, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the south-east.
Isis claims to have cells in the country. Analysts think it was behind suicide bombings last January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbul’s famous İstiklal Street and the attack at Ataturk airport in June, in which 45 people died.Isis claims to have cells in the country. Analysts think it was behind suicide bombings last January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbul’s famous İstiklal Street and the attack at Ataturk airport in June, in which 45 people died.
In December, Isis released a video purportedly showing the killing of two Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to “conquer” Istanbul. Turkey’s jets regularly bomb the group in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab. Turkish authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of the video.In December, Isis released a video purportedly showing the killing of two Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to “conquer” Istanbul. Turkey’s jets regularly bomb the group in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab. Turkish authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of the video.
Yıldırım said the attacker left a gun at the club and escaped by “taking advantage of the chaos” that ensued. The prime minister, Binali Yıldırım, said the attacker left a gun at the club and escaped by “taking advantage of the chaos” that ensued.