Istanbul attack: Manhunt continues for nightclub shooter

The 35-year-old from Greenville, Delaware, said that as gunman moved through the club spraying bullets, he shot people who were already lying on the floor. Neither his name nor his nationality have been released.

“I prayed that it will end soon, then it ended”, the DJ told Hurriyet.

“A terrorist with a long-range weapon. brutally and savagely carried out this incident by firing bullets on innocent people who were there exclusively to celebrate the New Year and have fun”, the governor told reporters at the scene of the upmarket club, which sits on the banks of Bosphorus in the city’s European side.

“That such an atrocity could be perpetrated upon innocent revelers, many of whom were celebrating New Year’s Eve, underscores the savagery of the attackers”. The deputy prime minister said the investigation is progressing. The clip shows him walking the streets of Istanbul, pointing the camera back at himself in selfie mode on what appears to have been a possible reconnaissance mission.

“A hero soldier of the caliphate attacked one of the most famous nightclubs, where Christians celebrated their pagan holiday. We heard police 5-10 minutes later”.

“Information about the fingerprints and basic appearance of the terrorist have been found”, Kurtulmus told reporters.

He added: “This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery”.

Earlier, Turkish media reports said that Turkish authorities believed the gunman was likely to be from either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

In a statement Sunday, Turkish President Recep Erdogan said the terror attack would not succeed in demoralizing the country.

Police involved in the manhunt, however, say the suspect may have entered Turkey through Syria.

The militant Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or PKK, distanced itself from the attack.

Turkey had been victim to a series of terror past year including a bombing outside a football stadium and an attack at country’s biggest and busiest airport.

“The attacker is determined, faithful, practical, coldblooded, expert and knows how to get results“, Ağar said. “We also grieve the senseless loss of a Canadian citizen and remain steadfast in our determination to work with allies and partners to fight terrorism and hold perpetrators to account”.

Hurriyet said the gunman returned to Istanbul on December 29. Many were from the Middle East, including Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, although countries from India to Belgium reported their citizens among the casualties, the Associated Press reported.