Turkish authorities believe they have identified the suspected gunman responsible for the New Year’s attack at an Istanbul nightclub that killed at least 39 people. A lone gunman shot his way into the nightclub in the early hours of New Year’s Day when holiday revelers packed the club.
Turkey’s IHA news agency and TRT World say the suspect is a national of the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan, as NPR’s Peter Kenyon reports from Istanbul. They say he entered Turkey through Syria, with a wife and child, and remains at large.
As Peter reports, TRT World, which is state funded, showed images of a passport belonging to the apparent suspect in Sunday’s attack on an Istanbul nightclub, identifying him as 28-year-old Iakhe Mashrapov.
But the broadcaster then stopped showing the passport page without explanation, and Turkish officials have not verified the authenticity of the passport.
The passport photo appeared to be of the same man who appears in a “selfie” video released yesterday by Turkish authorities. The video shows the man walking along a city street. Turkish authorities did not say when the video was recorded or how they obtained it.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on Istanbul’s Reina nightclub.
Police raids continue in Istanbul neighborhoods, Peter reports, and 14 people are being held for questioning in connection with the attack.