Istanbul police detain 8 suspects over nightclub attack: report

Istanbul police detain 8 suspects over nightclub attack: report

2017-01-02 20:44:21.0

ISTANBUL, Jan 2, 2017 (AFP) - Istanbul anti-terror police on Monday detained eight people suspected of links to the New Year gun attack on a nightclub in the Turkish city that left 39 dead and was claimed by Islamic State (IS) jihadists, a report said.

The Dogan news agency said police were pressing on with operations after making the first arrests over the attack. The suspected gunman is still believed to be on the run.

Foreigners majority of victims in Istanbul attack

 Foreigners, including many nationals of Arab countries, made up the majority of the victims in the New Year shooting rampage at an Istanbul nightclub, officials said.

A total of 39 people were killed in the assault claimed by the Islamic State group at the exclusive Reina club on the shores of the Bosphorus and 65 injured, officials said.

According to Turkish press reports, 11 Turks were killed in the attack alongside 27 foreigners. One victim is still unidentified.

Here is a breakdown of the nationalities of the dead and wounded known so far given by their respective countries:

- Saudi Arabia -

Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul said that Saudis were among the victims, but gave no figures. The Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper however quoted a consulate source as saying that five Saudis including two women had died and 11 other people were injured. Al-Arabiya television also spoke of five dead and nine wounded while Turkish press reports said seven Saudis were killed.

- Jordan -

A foreign ministry spokeswoman in Amman said two Jordanians were killed and six injured.

The spokeswoman had on Sunday reported a toll of three dead and four injured, but revised the figures after Turkish authorities said one of the three was a Canadian resident in Jordan.

- Iraq -

A spokesman for Iraq's foreign ministry said three Iraqis died.

- Lebanon -

The Lebanese foreign ministry announced the death of three Lebanese and said another four were wounded. Turkish media said Lebanon has sent a special delegation to repatriate its dead and wounded.

- Tunisia -

The Tunisian foreign ministry said on its Facebook page that one Tunisian and one Franco-Tunisian had died. Tunisia's ambassador to France named the victims as husband and wife Mohamed Azzabi and Senda Nakaa who leave behind a five-month-old daughter.

- India -

India's external affairs minister said two nationals were among the dead, naming them as Abis Rizvi, the son of a former MP, and a woman, Khushi Shah.

- Morocco -

The foreign ministry said that two Moroccans were killed and four hospitalised.

- Germany -

At least one German -- a man who has dual German-Turkish nationality - was killed in the attack, the foreign ministry said. A Turkish resident of Germany was also killed, but it was unclear whether he also held German citizenship.

Local authorities in Bavaria had said earlier that two residents - a 28-year-old and another in his mid-20s -- were killed.

- Israel -

The Israeli foreign ministry said an Arab Israeli woman, 18-year-old Lian Nasser, had died.

- Canada -

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a Canadian woman was among the dead. He said Canada remains "steadfast in our determination to work with allies and partners to fight terrorism and hold perpetrators to account".

- Russia -

Sergei Romanov, vice-consul at the Russian consulate in Istanbul, said a Russian woman was among the dead.

- Kuwait -

A Kuwaiti man was killed and five others injured, according to deputy foreign minister Khaled al-Jarallah, quoted by the official KUNA news agency.

- Belgium -

Belgium's foreign ministry confirmed that a man in his 20s, a Belgian-Turkish dual national, was killed.

- Libya -

One Libyan was killed and three others hurt, according to the north African country's foreign ministry.