ISIS claims responsibility for Istanbul nightclub attack

January 2, 2017 at 11:04

The Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) international terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the New Year’s Eve shooting in a crowded Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people.

IS issued a statement calling the gunman its “soldier,” who attacked Christians for celebrating a holiday the jihadist terrorists deem “apostate.” The attack was reportedly carried out in revenge for Ankara’s military involvement in Syria.

A manhunt is still ongoing for the gunman who killed 39 people and injured 69 at the Reina nightclub. The victims come from over 10 different, mostly Middle Eastern, countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Libya, and Lebanon.

On Sunday, the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul confirmed the death of a Russian woman in the attack.

Eight individuals thought to have been involved in the nightclub attack were apprehended in Istanbul on Monday, Turkish Daily Sabah reported, citing police. Over the past week, nearly 150 people suspected of having ties to the Islamic State terrorist group have been detained, Turkey’s Interior Ministry said, adding that 25 have been formally placed under arrest.

The gunman, who may be from a Central Asian country, is suspected of coming from the same cell responsible for carrying out a deadly gun-and-bomb attack on Istanbul’s main airport back in June of last year, according to Turkish Hurriyet newspaper.

The club is located in the Turkish capital’s Ortakoy neighborhood, an area popular with foreign tourists crammed with nightclubs, shops, and restaurants. Up to 600 people are believed to have been inside the club at the time of the attack.

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