ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly New Year’s attack at an upscale Istanbul nightclub which left 39 dead.
As authorities in Turkey continue their search for the attacker, the terror group offered no further clues about the identity of the assailant. The claim which according to CNN was made in a statement posted on Twitter cannot independently be verified.
“In continuation of the blessed operations which ISIS carries out against Turkey, a soldier of the brave caliphate attacked one of the most popular nightclubs while Christians were celebrating their holiday,” the statement posted to Twitter reads.
Earlier on Monday, the Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or PKK, distanced itself from the attack, which took place at the Reina nightclub during the early hours of January 1.
“No Kurdish forces have anything to do with this attack,” it said in a statement. “The Kurdish freedom fight is also the fight for democratization of Turkey. That’s why we won’t target innocent and civilian people.”
Dozens of people were hospitalized following the attack. As of Monday, 46 were still being treated, including one American, according to the Istanbul governor’s office. A handful of the injured were in critical condition.
Those killed in the attack hailed from 14 countries, including India, Morocco, Jordan, Canada, Russia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The suspected shooter, who stormed the nightclub soon after the clock struck midnight, appears to have evaded the tight security that blanketed Turkey’s largest city over the New Year, but authorities were confident they would apprehend him soon.
Posted by Janice Johnson (Source: CNN)
