Turkey identifies primary suspect behind nightclub massacre with Daesh connections

Published January 4th, 2017 - 10:27 GMT
A screen grab from footage broadcasted by the Turkish media outlet Haberturk on January 2, 2016 claiming to show the attacker from a deadly night club attack in Istanbul, Turkey. (File photo)
A screen grab from footage broadcasted by the Turkish media outlet Haberturk on January 2, 2016 claiming to show the attacker from a deadly night club attack in Istanbul, Turkey. (File photo)

Turkish authorities have identified the man suspected of gunning down 39 people at a nightclub on New Year's Eve in Istanbul, state media reported on Wednesday, citing the foreign minister.

Mevlut Cavusoglu told Anadolu news agency that the identity of the attacker was known, without giving further details.

His comments came hours after the agency reported that five suspects linked to Daesh had been detained as part of the ongoing investigation. They were reportedly being held in Turkey's coastal city of Izmir.

Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack, in which partygoers, many of them foreign nationals from the Middle East, were killed while ringing in the New Year at Istanbul's upmarket Reina nightclub.

Anadolu reported that the number of people held in connection with the attack now stands at 43, including the wife of the suspected attacker. However, the main suspect remains on the run.