At least 39 dead in Istanbul shooting by 'Santa' gunman

[Peter Lemkin]

[INDENT=2]Istanbul nightclub attack: Gunman 'dressed as Santa' kills 39, including many foreigners, in Reina nightspot as hunt continues for attacker

[Peter Lemkin]

Except that the official one shooter according to witnesses was at least two... at least [SO FAR] they haven't found an ID he left behind - though he appears on blurry video, supposedly; nor have they [SO FAR] admitted he was 'well known to the police and intelligence authorities'. Even the claim that the 'one' gunman was killed is both stated by and denied by different authoritative reports.....at this point.


The authorities initially said one gunman entered the club and was later killed by police, yet witness testimony in Turkish media appeared to describe more than one attacker, heightening fears that at least one other gunman remained on the loose.
Local media described scenes of chaos in the club, which usually has hundreds of revellers on weekends, including people jumping into the Bosphorus to evade the attacker.
Families gathered outside the police cordon to inquire about relatives who were missing at the club, many of them weeping as they waited in the cold and rainy Istanbul night. Two men sobbed and collapsed in tears when they received news that a relative who was in the club had died.
Many were unable to reach their relatives.
One man who witnessed the attack inside Reina described the rush for the exits after someone came in and began firing shots at the crowd, but the witness was unable to describe the scene in detail because he was in shock.

[Magda Hassan]

There has been another shooting in Istanbul in a Mosque. Two dead. Maybe more.

[Peter Lemkin]

TURKEY: PRIOR ATTACKS IN 2016 (partial)

On December 19, the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot dead by an assassin as he gave a speech at an art gallery in Ankara.
On 10 December 2016, a car bomb exploded near the Besiktas football stadium in the Macka/Dolmabahce area of Istanbul. 44 people, mostly police officers, were killed, and over 150 injured.
On 24 November 2016, a bomb exploded near the Governor's office in Adana. 2 people were killed and 21 injured.
On 14 October 2016, a rocket attack took place on the outskirts of Antalya towards Kemer; no casualties were reported. Separately on 14 October 2016, attacks also took place against the Turkish military in Hakkari, Diyarbakir, Van and Adiyaman resulting in 13 injuries to service personnel
On 6 October 2016, an explosion occurred near a police headquarters in the Yenibosna area on the European side of Istanbul
On 24 August 2016, a roadside bomb injured 2 Gendarmerie officers on the Antalya Kemer road near Topcam.
On 20 August 2016, an attack on a wedding party in Gaziantep killed more than 50 people and injured around 100.
On 28 June 2016, Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul was attacked. More than 40 people were killed.
On 7 June 2016, a bomb attack in the Vezneciler area of Istanbul killed 7 police officers and 4 civilians. 36 people were injured.
On 1 May 2016, a bomb attack at the Central Police Station in Gaziantep killed two police officers and injured 23 others.
On 27 April 2016, there was a suspected suicide bomb attack at Bursa Ulu Mosque. The bomber was killed and 7 people slightly injured.
On 19 March 2016, there was a suicide bomb attack against tourists on Istiklal St in Istanbul, in which 4 tourists died and at least 36 people were injured.
On 13 March 2016, a bombing in Kizilay Square, central Ankara killed more than 30 people.
On 17 February 2016, a large bomb attack near a military barracks on Eskisehir Road in Ankara killed 28 people.
On 12 January 2016, a suicide bomb attack in Sultanahmet in Istanbul killed 10 tourists.