The suspected gunman behind the attack at Reina nightclub, taking a selfie in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo: Reuters

Turkey tightens borders as official confirms Istanbul attacker a Turkic Uygur

Suspect was likely a part of a terror cell which includes other jihadists from Central Asia

Published: 10:45pm, 5 Jan 2017

Turkish police detained several new suspects yesterday in fresh raids over the nightclub attack that killed 39, as authorities tightened borders to prevent the fugitive killer from escaping.

A top official said the attacker was likely a Turkic Uygur and reports have indicated the authorities are looking into the possible existence of a cell, also including other jihadists from Central Asia.

But with the prospect of a dangerous trained killer on the run in the city adding to tensions in Istanbul after a spate of attacks, the authorities have still not caught the individual.

In the early hours of Sunday, a gunman stormed the swanky Reina nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus in Istanbul and sprayed 120 bullets at terrified party-goers celebrating new year.

Of the 39 dead, 27 were foreigners including citizens from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq and Morocco.

Flowers and pictures of victims laid in front of the Reina nightclub. Photo: AFP

The Islamic State (IS) group took responsibility for the massacre in a statement on Monday, marking the first time it has issued a clear and undisputed claim for a major attack inside Turkey.

The extremist group said it was a response to Ankara’s ambitious military operation against it in northern Syria, where Turkish armed forces are supporting opposition fighters retaking territory from IS.

‘We walked on top of people’: witness describes Istanbul nightclub panic as people tried to escape ‘Santa’ gunman

Special forces detained several people suspected of links with the attack on the outskirts of Istanbul yesterday, state-run news agency Anadolu said. Authorities also tightened Turkish land borders, Dogan news agency reported, over fears the killer planned to flee the country.

The agency said checkpoints would be set up to search all vehicles and people leaving the country at border crossings in Edirne, western Turkey, which has a land border with Greece and Bulgaria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that the attacker had been identified but did not give a name or further details.

Turkish police officers block the road leading to the scene of an attack in Istanbul on New Year’s day. Photo: AP

Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak told A Haber broadcaster yesterday that the attacker was “probably” of Uygur origin as he sought to play down fears that the gunman would escape Turkey.

Most Uygurs, an eastern Turkic group, live in the Xinjiang (新疆) region of China, although there are also significant populations in ex-Soviet Central Asian states.

Previous reports had said the killer could be from Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan. Kaynak said airports had also taken important measures to ensure that the killer did not escape.

Responding to some reports in local media that there was a second gunman, Kaynak said security forces were “assessing all probabilities” but that the shots were fired from one gun. He said investigations continued into whether the gunman had help inside the club and what kind of assistance he had to prepare the attack.

Kaynak described the massacre as “sophisticated and well planned”, suggesting the gunman was part of a “well formed cell”.

Anadolu did not say how many were arrested during the raids in Istanbul but claimed those detained were of Uygur origin. Police reportedly got a tip-off that individuals linked to the killer were hiding in a housing complex in the district.

Excluding the latest arrests, at least 36 had been detained in the probe by Wednesday, but the gunman remains on the run.

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