Istanbul nightclub massacre suspect confesses: Turkey

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin on Tuesday said Abdulgadir Masharipov, the prime suspect in the Istanbul nightclub New Year's Eve shooting, has confessed.

Police arrested Masharipov, three other men and a woman during a raid Monday in Istanbul's Esenyurt district. During a press conference, Sahin said Masharipov, who was born in Uzbekistan in 1983, was a "well-trained terrorist" who was taught in Afghanistan.

"The terrorist actually said that he did it," Sahin said, referring to Masharipov. "It is clear that this attack was carried out in the name of Daesh."

The Islamic State, also known as ISIL, ISIS and Daesh, claimed responsibility for the Reina nightclub attack in which 39 people died, calling the gunman a "heroic soldier of the caliphate" who carried out the massacre in revenge for Turkey's operations in Syria.

Turkish police previously arrested up to 17 people connected to the attack.

Masharipov 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 the Middle East.