ISTANBUL, Turkey, Jan. 16 (UPI) — The main suspect in the New Year’s Eve shooting attack that killed 39 at a popular nightclub in Istanbul was arrested Monday
Abdulgadir Masharipov was arrested in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul in a police raid, along with three other men and a woman found at a home during the raid.
Masharipov is accused as the person behind the New Year’s attack at Reina nightclub, a shooting attack that killed 39 and injured as many as 70. While police identified him some time ago, they had not identified him despite arresting others thought to be involved with the terror plot.
Turkish police had arrested as many as 17 people connected to the attack, credit for which was claimed by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh, and released an image of Masharipov, but did not offer details such as his name or background until his arrest on Sunday.
“In the name of our nation, I thank primarily our minister, Suleyman Soylu, our police and intelligence organizations who captured Raina assailant,” Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusogu tweeted after news of the arrest broke.
Masharipov, originally from Uzbekistan, was arrested at a home in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district, near Turkey’s European border, at the home of a friend from Kyrgyzstan. The area, which was once a slum, has been redeveloped and its new apartments have become home to refugees and migrants from throughout the Middle East.
Masharipov, whose 4-year-old son was with him at the house, was arrested in a bloody shirt with bruises and cuts on his face. Police said they would take him for a medical assessment before starting interrogations.
Police identified Masharipov on Jan. 4, releasing video and a selfie of him — some from the night of the attack — but did not release any information about him in order to ease their search for him after he escaped police the night of the attack.
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