Istanbul gunman veteran of IS jihadists in Syria

THE gunman who killed 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub had fought in Syria for Islamic State jihadists, a report said yesterday, as Turkish authorities intensified their hunt for the attacker.

Police released pictures of the man, who went on the rampage at the plush nightclub Reina on New Year’s night, spraying about 120 bullets at terrified guests before slipping away into the night.

Of the 39 dead, 27 were foreigners, mainly from Arab countries, with coffins repatriated overnight to countries including Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

The Islamic State group claimed the massacre on Monday – the first time it has clearly stated being behind a major attack in Turkey.

The government said on Monday that eight people had been detained, but media reports said the number had increased to 12 after new detentions in the Anatolian city of Konya.

News agency Dogan said they included a woman suspected of being the attacker’s wife.

The daily Hurriyet said the attacker showed signs of being well trained in the use of arms and had fought in Syria for IS jihadists.

Well-connected Hurriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi said the attacker had been identified, with investigators focusing on a Central Asian origin – Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan.

Selvi said he had been trained in street fighting in residential areas in Syria and used these techniques in the attack, shooting from the hip rather than as a sniper.

The attacker had been specially selected to carry out the shooting, he said. According to Hurriyet, just 28 bullets failed to hit a target.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday that the authorities had obtained fingerprint data about the gunman and expressed hope he would be identified speedily.

Selvi wrote that the priority now was to detain the assailant and neutralise the cell that apparently backed him, to prevent any new attack.

“This specially trained terrorist has still not been detained and is still wandering dangerously among us,” he wrote.

He said an IS strike was also planned in Ankara at New Year but it had been prevented after eight IS suspects were arrested in the capital.

Police have released the first clear images of the attacker, including one taken by security cameras on the night of the attack.

Meanwhile, a chilling video of the suspect taken near Taksim Square in central Istanbul was released, showing him recording himself with a selfie stick and smiling faintly into the camera. – AFP