Nightclub attack: Istanbul police continue search

The manhunt continues for a gunman who killed 39 people in an Istanbul nightclub as Turkey marked the start of the new year.

The unknown assailant opened fire at Reina nightclub early on Sunday, before managing to flee amid the chaos.

The motive for the attack is not clear, but suspicion has fallen on the Islamic State group, already linked to at least two terror attacks in Turkey last year.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said such groups tried “to create chaos”.

“They are trying to… demoralise our people and destabilise our country,” he added.

The banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has distanced themselves from the killings, with the PKK’s Murat Karayilan quoted as saying they would “never target innocent civilians”.

Earlier, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu confirmed a “manhunt for the terrorist is under way. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon.”

But as the search continued, the first funerals of those killed at the nightclub were held.

Flowers are placed next to Turkish police officers as they stand guard near the Reina nightclub, which was attacked by a gunman, in Istanbul, Turkey, on 1 January 2017Police are continuing the hunt for the attacker as the city mourns
map and satellite shot

More than half of those killed in the attack – which lasted seven minutes – were foreign, according to the state run Anadolu Agency.

Among them were citizens from Israel, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The club, which sits on the banks of the Bosphorus, is one of Istanbul’s most upmarket venues – often frequented by singers and sports stars.


Deadly attacks in Turkey in 2016

Scene of explosion in Ankara's central Kizilay district on 13 March 2016Scene of explosion in Ankara’s central Kizilay district on 13 March

Istanbul was already on high alert with some 17,000 police officers on duty in the city, following a string of terror attacks in recent months.

10 December: Twin bomb attack outside a football stadium in Istanbul kills 44 people, Kurdish militant group claims responsibility

20 August: Bomb attack on wedding party in Gaziantep kills at least 30 people, IS suspected

30 July: 35 Kurdish fighters try to storm a military base and are killed by the Turkish army

28 June: A gun and bomb attack on Ataturk airport in Istanbul kills 41 people, in an attack blamed on IS militants

13 March: 37 people are killed by Kurdish militants in a suicide car bombing in Ankara

17 February: 28 people die in an attack on a military convoy in Ankara

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