Gunman in Istanbul nightclub attack identified
The Turkish authorities said on Wednesday that they had identified the fugitive gunman who went on a deadly rampage at an upscale Istanbul nightclub in the early hours of New Year’s Day, although they did not release his name, the New York Times reported.
“The identity of the person responsible for the Istanbul attack has been established,” the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, told the state-run news agency Anadolu, which also reported that the police had detained 20 people, believed to be Islamic State militants, in connection with the assault.
Some of those who were arrested, in the western Turkish province of Izmir, are thought to have lived with the attacker in the central city of Konya, Anadolu reported, adding that night vision equipment, a sniper scope, an ammunition belt and other military equipment had been found during police raids.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his first public remarks since the attack, told an audience in Ankara, the capital, that the assault that left 39 people dead was a failed attempt to divide the Turkish people and to harm the country’s economy.
“I am saying one more time, in Turkey, no one’s lifestyle is under systematic threat,” Mr. Erdogan said. “We will never allow it. During our 14-year rule, we have never allowed it.”
Erdogan added that, “As the president of all of 79 million citizens, it is my duty to protect everyone’s rights, law and spaces of freedom.” Nonetheless, the president has engaged in a widespread crackdown — most notably after a failed coup in July — against political opponents, journalists and Kurdish groups.
Parliament voted overnight to extend emergency rule by three months, as the country continues a vast purge of people it says have ties to the coup attempt. Many are supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based preacher and opponent of Mr. Erdogan.
The emergency powers were first put in place after the coup attempt and were extended in October. More than 40,000 people have been jailed in connection with the coup plot.
The White House said in a statement on Wednesday that President Obama had expressed condolences over the attack in a telephone call with Mr. Erdogan, adding that the United States and Turkey must stand united to defeat terrorism and praising Ankara for its efforts to establish a cease-fire in Syria.
Although no additional details about the gunman were released, the fact that the statement about his identity came from Mr. Cavusoglu rather than from the Interior Ministry or from the deputy prime minister was potentially significant: It may have been a signal that the authorities believe the attack was committed by a foreigner rather than by a Turk.
The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on Monday that the gunman might be from Kyrgyzstan or elsewhere in Central Asia, but a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry of Kyrgyzstan suggested that was unlikely.
