Police have caught the alleged gunman who killed 39 people during an attack on a nightclub in Istanbul during new year celebrations, according to Turkish media reports.
private Dogan news agency and other media say the suspect was caught in Istanbul’s district of Esenyurt in a police operation late on
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility, saying the attack was in reprisal for Turkish military operations in northern Syria.
The suspect was caught in a special operations police raid on a house in a housing complex in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district, private NTV television said. The report said he had been staying in the house belonging to a Kyrgyz friend.
The man identified as the suspect had been on the run since the attack.
Hurriyet newspaper and other media have identified the suspect as Abdulkadir Masharipov, an Uzbek national.
The suspect was to undergo medical checks before being taken to a police headquarters for questioning, the paper said in its online edition.
Dogan news agency published an image showing a bruised, black-haired man in a grey, bloodied shirt being held by his neck. Private NTV television said he had resisted arrest.
It will be recalled that a mass shooting occurred at a nightclub in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on 1 January 2017.
The attack occurred at about 01:15 FET (UTC+3) at the Reina nightclub in Ortaköy, where hundreds of people were celebrating the New Year.
At least 39 people were killed and at least 70 were injured in the incident.
Source: NAN
