Istanbul Nightclub Terrorist Still at Large
"He rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun."
1.2.2017
7
The gunman who massacred at least 39 New Year's Eve revelers at a popular Istanbul nightclub and wounded nearly 70 more is still eluding Turkish police.
Fox News reports that the attacker, armed with a "long-barreled weapon" and -- according to one report, wearing a Santa Claus costume -- killed a policeman and a civilian outside the Reina club on the shore of the Bosporus straight around 1:15 a.m. before entering and firing at an estimated 600 partiers inside.
Security camera footage shows what appears to be a man dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he shoots a police officer outside the nightclub. Footage taken by a different camera inside the club shows a figure wearing different clothes and what could be a Santa Claus hat.
"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," Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin told reporters.
Nearly two-thirds of the people killed were foreigners, many from the Middle East, says Fox News. Countries from India to Belgium reported that their citizens were among the casualties. An anonymous U.S. State Department source said one American man was among those wounded.
Turkish officials have declared it a terrorist attack, although there has been no claim of responsibility yet.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly denounced "the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017" and offered condolences for the victims and their families. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Erdogan, saying that "it is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations. However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said.
The White House too condemned the "horrific terrorist attack" and offered assistance. The U.N. Security Council took time out from condemning Israel's purported crimes against humanity to condemn the "heinous and barbaric" attack in the "strongest terms."
Prime Minister Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the club and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman, who remains unidentified, is still at large. "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing, he will be caught in a short period of time."
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