‘An order came from Raqqa’: suspect in Istanbul nightclub attack claims he received orders from Islamic State
Turkish authorities on Monday detained Abdulgadir Masharipov, who spent 17 days on the run following the attack on New Year’s Eve
The man suspected of killing 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year’s Eve has claimed he received the order to attack from Islamic State jihadists in Syria, local media reported Wednesday.
Officials identified him as an Uzbek national who trained in Afghanistan, saying he confessed to carrying out the attack and that his fingerprints matched those of the attacker at the scene.
An order came from Raqqa for me to carry out an attack in Taksim ... [but] it was not possible to carry out an attack [due to security measures]
Using the code name Ebu Muhammed Horasani, the man told police he entered Turkey through Iran in January 2016 and moved to the central city of Konya, the Hurriyet newspaper reported.
“When I was in Konya, an order came from [the Syrian city of] Raqqa for me to carry out an attack in Taksim” Square in Istanbul, he said in testimony to Turkish police. Raqqa is the self-declared capital of IS in Syria.
He moved to Istanbul on December 16 and scouted out the popular square to locate a suitable place to attack.
“I arrived at Taksim on New Year’s Eve but there were very intensive [security] measures. It was not possible to carry out an attack,” he said.