Istanbul Reina nightclub attack suspect 'captured'

The main suspect in the New Year's Eve attack on an exclusive nightclub in Istanbul has been arrested, Turkish media report.

Abdulkadir Masharipov is believed to have mounted the attack on the Reina club in which 39 people were killed. The Uzbek national is said to have been caught in Istanbul's Esenyurt district. Citizens of Israel, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia were among the victims, and dozens of people were injured. So-called Islamic State said it was behind the attack, saying it was revenge for Turkish military involvement in Syria. The gunman arrived at the club by taxi early that Sunday, before rushing through the entrance with a long-barrelled gun he had taken from the boot of the car. He fired randomly at people celebrating the new year.

'Medical checks'

Police seized the suspect at the home of a Kyrgyz friend in the city, Turkey's NTV channel reports. According to the Hurriyet newspaper, he was due to undergo medical checks before being taken in for interrogation at a police headquarters. A photo being circulated on Turkish media shows a man in a bloodstained tee-shirt with cuts and bruises to his face, being held in front of a camera. Turkish media say the suspect rented a flat in the central Turkish city of Konya with a woman believed to be his wife and two children. He arrived in Istanbul on 15 December, according to Hurriyet's sources. Source: BBC News