ISTANBUL: The gunman who took the lives f 39 people in an attack on a Turkish nightclub on New Year’s Day was captured by police on Tuesday.
Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin identified the culprit as Abdul Qadir Masharipov, was found by police in an outlying suburb of Istanbul.
Sahin revealed that Masharipov was born in Uzbekistan and had received militant training in Afghanistan.
Masharipov, who was captured with four others overnight, had admitted his guilt and his fingerprints matched those at the scene, Sahin said, adding “He knew four languages and was well-educated.”
He also noted that there were strong indications Masharipov had entered Turkey illegally through its eastern borders in January 2016, with Sahin highlighting the fact that it was clear that Daesh were behind the attack.
The militant group claimed responsibility a day after the mass shooting, saying it was revenge for Turkish military involvement in Syria.
Masharipov was captured with an Iraqi man and three women from Africa, one of them from Egypt, in the Esenyurt district on Istanbul’s western outskirts, about 30 km (19 miles) from the Reina nightclub, the scene of the attack.
Police also seized two pistols, mobile phone SIM cards, and $197,000 in cash from the detainees.
