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Turkish police arrest suspect in NYE nightclub attack

By Stephen Feller
An undated handout photo released on January 2, 2017, by the Turkish police and obtained through Dogan News Agency via Depo Photos shows the main suspect in the Reina nightclub shooting, who was arrested Monday by police in Istanbul. File photo by Handout/Dogan News Agency/European Pressphoto Agency
An undated handout photo released on January 2, 2017, by the Turkish police and obtained through Dogan News Agency via Depo Photos shows the main suspect in the Reina nightclub shooting, who was arrested Monday by police in Istanbul. File photo by Handout/Dogan News Agency/European Pressphoto Agency

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Turkish police on Monday arrested the primary suspect in a New Year's Eve shooting attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, which killed 39 people.

They arrested Abdulgadir Masharipov in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul in a police raid, along with three other men and a woman at the home where he was found.

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Masharipov is accused of being the primary suspect the New Year's attack at Reina nightclub. The attack injured up to 70 people. While police identified Masharipov shortly after the attack, they did not release his name to the public.

Turkish police previously arrested up to 17 people connected to the attack, credit for which was claimed by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh. Police released an image of Masharipov, but did not offer details such as his name or background until his arrest on Sunday.

"In the name of our nation, I thank primarily our minister, Suleyman Soylu, our police and intelligence organizations who captured Raina assailant," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusogu tweeted after news of the arrest broke.

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Masharipov, originally from Uzbekistan, was arrested at the home of a friend from Kyrgyzstan. The area, which was once a slum, has been redeveloped and its new apartments have become home to refugees and migrants from throughout the Middle East.

Masharipov, whose 4-year-old son was with him at the house, was arrested in a bloody shirt with bruises and cuts on his face. Police said they would take him for a medical assessment before starting interrogations.

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