Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Istanbul Nightclub Attack As Manhunt For Gunman Continues

One week after a video emerged of the Berlin Christmas market truck killer, Anis Amri, pledging allegiance to ISIS, on Monday the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly New Year’s Day terrorist attack in Istanbul that killed at least 39 people and wounded dozens more, claiming the operation had targeted Turkey in revenge for Turkish military operations against the organization in Syria, a similar justification used by the Turkish offduty policemen to assassinate the Russian ambassador in Turkey in December.

The statement was distributed by Nashir News, a channel that publishes Islamic State propaganda, and which had called for followers of the extremist group to target holiday celebrations days before the attack the WSJ reported. In the statement, the Islamic State described the Reina nightclub, where many foreigners as well as Turks were killed, as a gathering point for Christians celebrating their "apostate holiday".

"The apostate Turkish government should know that the blood of Muslims shed with airplanes and artillery fire will, with God"s permission, ignite a fire in their own land," the Islamic State declaration said. There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials according to Reuters.

The jihadist group has been blamed for at least half a dozen attacks on civilian targets in Turkey over the past 18 months but, other than targeted assassinations, this is the first time it has directly claimed any of them. It made the statement on one of its Telegram channels, a method used after attacks elsewhere. Islamic State most recently killing more than 50 people in August at a wedding in Gaziantep by the Syrian border. Within days of that bombing, Turkey launched its operation inside Syria. Previously, the extremist organization struck Istanbul’s biggest airport, killing more than 40 people in June during an attack waged with bombs and firearms.

Attacks in Turkey have accelerated in recent weeks: on Dec. 10, two bombs claimed by Kurdish militants exploded outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul, killing 44 people. A security guard who survived that attack was killed at Reina. A car bomb killed at least 13 soldiers and wounded 56 when it ripped through a bus carrying off-duty military personnel in the central city of Kayseri a week later, an attack Erdogan also blamed on Kurdish militants. Islamic State"s Amaq website said the group was behind a car bomb attack that killed 11 people and wounded 100 in the city of Diyarbakir in November, but Turkish authorities denied this and said Kurdish militants carried out the attack. The Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead as he gave a speech in Ankara on Dec. 19 by an off-duty police officer who shouted "Don"t forget Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar."

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Meanwhile, on Monday the Turkish police continued the manhunt for the suspected gunman behind the Istanbul nightclub shooting. The lone attacker sprayed bullets into a crowd of revelers who had come from across the Middle East and elsewhere to celebrate at the Reina, a cosmopolitan party spot overlooking the Bosporus.

The attacker was believed to have taken a taxi from the southern Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul and, because of the busy traffic, got out and walked the last four minutes to the entrance of the nightclub, newspaper Haberturk said. He pulled his Kalashnikov rifle from a suitcase at the side of the road, opened fire on those at the door, then threw two hand grenades after entering, Turkey"s Haberturk said. It said six empty magazines were found at the scene and that he was estimated to have fired at least 180 bullets.

On Sunday afternoon, surveillance footage appeared to show the suspect behind Sunday"s attack on an Istanbul nightclub opening fire at the entrance.

Security services had been on alert across Europe for new year celebrations following an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that killed 12 people. Only days ago, an online message from a pro-Islamic State group called for attacks by "lone wolves" on "celebrations, gatherings and clubs".

In a statement hours after the shooting, President Tayyip Erdogan said such attacks aimed to create chaos and destabilize the country. Additionally, the government, in what has become an increasingly routine step, has imposed a media ban on coverage of the attack, prohibiting reporting of information other than what is released by authorities.

In Syria, rebels backed by Turkey’s armed forces have been taking over territory previously held by Islamic State, helping Ankara with its goal of establishing a safe zone for opposition forces while also clearing the porous Turkish border of extremist militants.

In its statement, disseminated in Arabic and Turkish, Islamic State said “let the apostate government of Turkey know that the blood of Muslims being shed through the shelling of its warplanes and artillery will inflame a fire in the middle of [Turkey] God willing.”

Moments ago, the Turkish polish said that its has detained eight people in connection with the istanbul attack however the gunman is said not to be among those in custody.

AP: Turkish police have reportedly detained eight people in connection with the Istanbul attack but the gunman is not among those in custody

— Sky News Newsdesk (@SkyNewsBreak) January 2, 2017

Police distributed a hazy black-and-white photo of the alleged gunman taken from security footage.He is described as having "wide eyes and wide cheekbones" which dominate his face.

The authorities believe the attacker may be from a Central Asian nation and suspect he had links to Islamic State, the Hurriyet newspaper said. It said he may be from the same cell responsible for a gun-and-bomb attack on Istanbul"s main airport in June, in which 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded.

Manhunt Underway For Gunman Who Killed 39 At Istanbul Nightclub

A manhunt was underway for a gunman who opened fire on people at a packed nightclub on the shores of Istanbul"s Bosphorus waterway on New Year"s morning, killing at least 39 people, including 15 foreigners, then fled the scene.

The suspect escaped the scene by changing clothes at the club after the attack, according to reports on Turkish media. There have also been rumors that there was a second attacker, but officials are now just talking about one terrorist.

While Turkish authorities are starting to uncover evidence about a gun attack on an Istanbul nightclub which killed 39 people on Sunday but there is no clarity yet on who was responsible, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said. "Some details have started emerging, but the authorities are working towards a concrete result," Yildirim told reporters, when asked about who might have been behind the attack.

"Police and security officials will share information as it becomes available during the investigation," he said.

While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, Metin Gurcan, an Istanbul-based security analyst, told BBC "signs point to the Islamic State."

Security camera footage obtained by AP from Haberturk newspaper, shows the male assailant dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he shoots down a police officer outside the Reina nightclub. Footage taken by a different camera shows him inside the venue wearing different clothes and a Santa Claus hat.

"A manhunt for the terrorist is underway. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon," said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu adding that 15 or 16 of those killed at Reina were foreigners but only 21 bodies had so far been identified.  He told reporters 69 people were in hospital, four of them in critical condition.

Nationals of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya, Israel and Belgium were among those killed, officials said. France said three of its citizens were wounded.

The attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside Istanbul"s popular Reina club at around 1:15 a.m. before entering and firing on people partying inside, Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year"s and have fun," Sahin told reporters.

A Turkish coast guard boat patrols in front of the Reina nightclub by the Bosphorus

As Reuters notes, the attack shook NATO member Turkey as it tries to recover from a failed July coup and a series of deadly bombings in cities including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, some blamed on Islamic State and others claimed by Kurdish militants. What makes the deadly terrorist attack even worse is that across Europe security services had been on alert for new year celebrations following the mid-December attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that killed 12 people. Only days ago, an online message from a pro-Islamic State group called for attacks by "lone wolves" on "celebrations, gatherings and clubs".

The Turkish Hurriyet newspaper cited witnesses as saying the attackers shouted in Arabic as they opened fire at Reina. "We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said don"t be afraid, and he jumped on me. People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places," one club-goer, Sinem Uyanik, told the newspaper. "I managed to push through and get out, it was terrible," she said, describing seeing people soaked in blood.

Police secure the area near the Istanbul nightclub on January 1, 2017.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned "the terror attack in Istanbul"s Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017" and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests." He dubbed the New Year’s shooting spree “dirty games,” vowing Turkey will fight to the end against all forms of terrorist attacks. 

"As a nation, we will fight to the end against not just the armed attacks of terror groups, but also against their economic, political and social attacks," President Tayyip Erdogan said in a written statement. "They are trying to create chaos, demoralize our people, and destabilize our country ... We will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games," he said.

Erdogan linked the attack to the situation in the region. Turkey neighbors Syria, where Ankara is conducting a military operation called Euphrates Shield, which is said to be targeting Islamic State and YPG forces.

The news received a strong international response, as world leaders, including those of Poland, Iran and Greece, condemned the attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his Turkish counterpart a a telegram of condolences, saying "it is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations" adding that "terrorists don"t share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists" aggression."

U.S. President Barack Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, expressed condolences and directed his team to offer help to the Turkish authorities, the White House said.

Despite repeated warnings of a possible terrorist attack at a night club, an even bigger tragedy was avoided thanks to the prompt police response: dozens of ambulances and police vehicles were immediately dispatched to the club in Ortakoy, a neighborhood on the city"s European side nestled under one of three bridges crossing the Bosphorus and home to nightclubs, restaurants and art galleries, once news of the shooting around 1:15am local time emerged.

"I didn"t see who was shooting but heard the gun shots and people fled. Police moved in quickly," Sefa Boydas, a Turkish soccer player, wrote on Twitter. "My girlfriend was wearing high heels. I lifted her and carried her out on my back," he said.

Hurriyet quoted Reina"s owner, Mehmet Kocarslan, as saying security measures had been taken over the past 10 days after U.S. intelligence reports suggested a possible attack.

“US intelligence warned about such an attack about one week or 10 days ago – and measures were taken, including [on] the sea front. And look what has happened,” Kocarslan told Hurriyet.

As many as 600 people were thought to have been inside the club at the time of the attack. The Hurriyet newspaper cited witnesses as saying the attacker shouted in Arabic at Reina. "We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said don"t be afraid, and he jumped on me. People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places," one club-goer, Sinem Uyanik, told the newspaper.

"I managed to push through and get out, it was terrible," she said, describing seeing people soaked in blood.

Meanwhile, the Turkish response to the tragedy was familiar: a full media clamp down. The prime minister"s office issued a media blackout on the events and asked media to refrain from broadcasting and publishing anything that may cause "fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organizations."

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some disguised as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkey"s Anadolu news agency reported.