Turkish police detained eight people in connection with a shooting in an Istanbul nightclub which left at least 39 people dead. The gunman is reportedly not amongst those detained.
A gunman attacked New Year's Eve revellers at a popular Istanbul nightclub, on Sunday. The attack was claimed by ISIS, on Monday.
Nearly two-third of the people killed were foreigners, many from the Middle East. It said the bodies of 25 foreign nationals killed in the attack would be delivered to their families on Monday.
Two Indians Killed in Attack
The attack took place in the Reina nightclub in the Ortakoy area, at about 01:30 local time. A gunman reportedly dressed in a Santa costume shot a police officer before storming the club.
On Sunday evening, Minister or External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj took to Twitter to announce the death of two Indians in this attack.
The victims have been identified as Abis Rizvi, son of former Rjaya Sabha MP and Khushi Shah from Gujarat.
Manhunt For Attacker Underway
According to the government officials there was one attacker and he has been killed. Local media, however, said that the attacker is still at large.
The area has been cleared and emergency services activity is beginning to subside.
Unfortunately, at least 35 of our citizens lost their lives. One was a police officer. Forty people are receiving treatment in hospitals.Vasip Sahin, Governer Istanbul
The attack again shook Turkey as it tries to recover from a failed July coup and a series of deadly bombings in cities including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, some blamed on Islamic State and others claimed by Kurdish militants.
Governor Terms Incident ‘Terror Attack’
Vasip Sahin, Istanbul’s Governor, termed the incident a “terror attack” but shed no light on who may have carried it out.
“Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year’s and have fun,” he told reporters.
Witnesses and local media have revealed that there were more than 700 people in the club at the time of the attack and many party-goers threw themselves into the Bosphorus water-way in panic.
Istanbul was on high alert with some 17,000 police officers on duty in the city, following a string of terror attacks in recent months. On 10 December last year, 44 people were killed in a double bombing in Istanbul at a football stadium.
In June 2016, more than 47 people were killed in a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.
Most of these attacks were carried out by so-called Islamic State (IS) or Kurdish rebels.
It Sought to Create Chaos in Turkey: President Erdogan
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the attack sought to create chaos in Turkey.
“They are working to destroy our country’s morale and create chaos by deliberately targeting our nation’s peace and targeting civilians with these heinous attacks,” Erdogan said in a statement on the presidency website.
US, India Condemn Attack
The White House condemned the "savagery" of the incident, calling the attack "horrific."
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the horrific terrorist attack at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, which has left dozens dead and many more wounded,” National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the attack as “barbaric” and said India stands by Turkey in this time of grief.
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