Turkey: Captured Gunman Trained in Afghanistan

Authorities say he confessed to deadly NYE attack
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 17, 2017 12:03 AM CST
Turkey: Captured Gunman Trained in Afghanistan
The alleged attacker after being caught by Turkish police in Istanbul, late Monday, Jan. 16, 2017.   (Uncredited)

Turkish police believe they have captured the gunman who carried out the deadly New Year's nightclub attack in Istanbul and officials say he is an Uzbekistan national who trained in Afghanistan and confessed to the massacre. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters in Ankara on Tuesday that the man was being questioned by police. He expressed hope that the interrogation would unveil the "forces" behind the attack, which killed 39 people and has already been claimed by ISIS, the AP reports. "The vile terrorist who attacked the place of entertainment on New Year's eve and led to the loss of so many lives has been captured," Yildirim said. "What is important is for the suspect to be captured and for the forces behind it to be revealed," he added.

In separate remarks, Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said that the suspect is an Uzbekistan national who trained in Afghanistan. He is believed to have entered Turkey in January 2016. Sahin identified him as Abdulkadir Masharipov, saying he was born in 1983. Sahin said that the man, captured late Monday, confessed to carrying out the massacre and that his fingerprints matched those of the attacker. The suspect, according to Sahin, is a well-educated terrorist who speaks four languages and had clearly carried out the attack in the name of ISIS. The state-run Anadolu Agency said that a man from Kyrgyzstan and three women—from Somalia, Senegal, and Egypt—were also detained in the raid, while the gunman's 4-year-old son was taken into protective custody. (More Turkey stories.)

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