IS claims Istanbul nightclub attack

The so-called Islamic State (IS) group has said it was behind an attack in Turkey where a gunman attacked a nightclub, killing 39 people. The attack took place in the early hours of New Year’s Day at Reina nightclub with the attacker firing randomly at people in an assault lasting seven minutes. At least 69 people are being treated in hospital, with three in a serious condition. Since the attack Turkish police have launched raids in Istanbul and arrested 12 people, as the hunt for an attacker intensifies. Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said authorities had fingerprints and a basic description, and vowed to ‘speedily’ identify the suspect. Turkish police have also released images of a man thought to be the suspect. Turkish media reports have also quoted police sources as saying he may have been from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.