Dozens dead in terror attack on nightclub in Istanbul

Dozens dead in terror attack on nightclub in Istanbul. January. 02, 2017 07:12. by Dong-Joo Cho djc@donga.com. Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey located between Europe and Asia, was rocked by a terror attack during New Year’s celebrations. A gunman dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul. At least 39 people, including a police officer, died and another 69 people are receiving treatment for wounds. Turkish police are still hunting for the terrorist.

At 1:15 a.m. on January 1 (local time), the assailant in a white Santa Claus costume first killed the 21-year-old police officer standing at the door of the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, before firing on about 700 people partying inside. The Reina is an exclusive nightclub located on the shore of the Bosphorus Strait, which is popular with celebrities including Paris Hilton, Gisele Bundchen, Uma Thurman, Kevin Costner and Sting.

Partygoers inside ran out of the club and some jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus to save themselves. BBC reported that the nightclub was packed with 700 people, making it difficult to escape. Twenty one of the dead have been identified, 16 of whom are foreigners with their nationalities yet to be reported.

Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband when the attack began. "Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said. "I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out."

"My girlfriend was wearing high heels. I lifted her and carried her out on my back," professional footballer Sefa Boydas wrote in his Twitter account.

Right after the shooting, CCTV footage showed the terrorist taking off his Santa Claus costume and running out of the club. The culprit, who is still at large, reportedly arrived in a yellow taxi. Some witnesses spoke of three attackers; however, Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said that it was a one-man crime, adding that efforts to find the terrorist are continuing and he will be caught in a short period of time.

As witnesses claim that the terrorist was shouting in Arabic, Turkish police have mobilized 17,000 officers to search for the terrorist, suspecting a link to the Islamic State (IS). Mehmet Kocarslan, owner of the attacked Reina, told local media that the attacker had used a Kalashnikov assault rifle. “The U.S. intelligence warned about the terror attack. Increased security measures were taken here 7-10 days ago. So what? That has happened,” he said.

Turkey suffered several terrorist attacks in 2016. About 20 days ago, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) exploded bombs outside a soccer stadium, killing 44 people and wounding 155. In June, 44 people were killed as Islamic State militants carried out a gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's main Ataturk airport. On December 19 (local time), Russia’s ambassador to Turkey was assassinated by a local police officer dissatisfied with Turkey’s mediation for Syrian ceasefire.

U.S. President Barack Obama has expressed condolences through White House spokesman Eric Schultz for the deadly attack at a nightclub in Istanbul and directed his team to offer U.S. help to Turkish authorities. Obama is vacationing in Hawaii this week.