Manhunt after 39 killed in Istanbul club shooting

Turkish police launched a massive manhunt yesterday for a gunman who killed 39 people, including many foreigners, in a rampage at an upmarket nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating New Year.
After the latest in a string of deadly attacks to hit the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the carnage sought to sow chaos, but vowed Turkey would never bow to the threat.
The shooting spree at the waterside Reina nightclub erupted when 2017 in Turkey was just 75 minutes old, as people were seeing out a year of unprecedented bloodshed that saw hundreds die in strikes blamed on IS and Kurdish militants and a failed coup.
The assailant shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the club entrance and then turned his gun on partygoers inside where up to 700 people were ringing in the New Year.
NTV broadcaster said the gunman fired between 120 and 180 rounds during the seven-minute attack, during which many revellers threw themselves into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus to escape death.
One witness spoke of the panic and carnage at the venue, considered one of Istanbul’s swankiest.
“Just as we were settling down, by the door there was a lot of dust and smoke. Gunshots rang out,” professional footballer Sefa Boydas said.
Italian tourist Maximilien said: “We came here to have a good time today but everything was suddenly transformed into chaos and a night of horror.”
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the gunman was still at large after slipping away unnoticed after the attack.
But he denied earlier reports that a Santa Claus costume had been used as a disguise.
The assailant “left the gun and went away from the scene of the incident,” he told reporters in Istanbul. “It was an armed terrorist.”
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman had arrived with a gun concealed underneath an overcoat but subsequently exited the venue wearing a different garment.
Police and intelligence services were beginning to piece together clues about the attack and the public would be informed soon, Yildirim said.
However, he did not pin the blame on any particular group and no-one has yet claimed responsibility for the bloodshed.
The Firat news agency, seen as being close to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), quoted PKK leader Murat Karayilan saying no Kurdish force was involved in the attack.
According to Dogan news agency, 35 of the victims had been identified — 24 foreigners and 11 Turks.
Another 65 people were being treated in hospital.
The Reina club is a magnet for wealthy foreigners and there were a number of Arabs among the dead and wounded, including Saudis, Jordanians and Tunisians.
France said a dual-national Tunisian-French woman had died along with her Tunisian husband, while India said it had lost two nationals.
A young Israeli woman, reportedly aged 19, was killed and another injured, Israel’s foreign ministry said.
Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said the attacker “targeted innocent people who had only come here to celebrate the New Year and have fun”.
Erdogan said such attacks aimed to “destroy our country’s morale and create chaos” and vowed to fight “terror organisations” and the countries supporting them.

Qatar condemns shooting attack
The State of Qatar has condemned the shooting attack that took place in Istanbul, Turkey, leaving scores killed or injured.
In a statement yesterday, the Foreign Ministry affirmed Qatar’s firm position rejecting violence and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
The ministry stressed the need to strengthening co-ordination among world countries, and to unite the international community’s efforts in order to ensure the eradication of terrorism and its causes.
It stressed Qatar’s solidarity with the government of Turkey, and its full support for all measures it takes to maintain its security and stability.
The statement expressed Qatar’s sincere condolences to the victims’ families and the Turkish government and people, wishing the injured speedy recovery.