A gunman reportedly dressed in a Santa costume killed at least 39 people, including 16 foreigners, at a famous nightclub in Istanbul during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Armed with a long-barrelled weapon, the attacker shot a police officer before storming the elite Reina club in the Ortakoy area of the city at about 1.45am.
“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 Governor Vasip Sahin said, describing the carnage as a “terror attack”. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman was still at large. “The search for the terrorist continues… Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time.” Raising the death toll to 39, Mr Soylu said that of 21 victims who had been identified so far, 16 were foreigners and five were Turks. Another 69 people were being treated in hospital for their wounds.
It is not known if any Britons were among the casualties. There were believed to be more than 500 people in the club at the time. Many party-goers threw themselves into the Bosphorus in panic after the attack and efforts were underway to rescue them from the waters, NTV television said.
The whereabouts of the attacker was still unknown and some reports suggested there were multiple attackers.
Some witnesses claimed the attackers were “speaking Arabic”, according to Dogan news agency.
Surveillance footage appeared to show the gunman spraying bulletsoutside the club before entering. Another CCTV image is believed to show the attacker changing his jacket as he walks around inside the club.

source: dailytelegraph.co.uk