Istanbul nightclub attack: Turkish police hunt gunman that killed 39 people at NYE celebration

Updated

A gunman shot his way into an Istanbul nightclub packed with New Year's revellers early on Sunday, killing at least 39 people and wounding almost 70 others in what the provincial Governor described as a terrorist attack.

Key points: Istanbul city governor condemned the "terrorist attack" on the popular Reina nightclub

Around 500-600 people were thought to be in the club when the attack happened

The attacker was believed to have entered the premises dressed as Santa Claus, local media reported

The assailant shot a police officer and a civilian as he entered the Reina nightclub before opening fire at random inside.

"A terrorist with a long-range weapon… brutally and savagely carried out this incident by firing bullets on innocent people who were there solely to celebrate the New Year and have fun," Governor Vasip Sahin told reporters at the scene.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker was still at large and 69 people were being treated in hospitals following the shooting.

Mr Soylu said of the victims identified so far, 16 were foreign nationals. He did not provide any information on their countries.

In a statement, President Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey would fight to the end against all forms of attack by terror groups and their backers.

"As a nation, we will fight to the end against not just the armed attacks of terror groups and the forces behind them, but also against their economic, political and social attacks," he said.

"They are trying to create chaos, demoralise our people, and destabilise our country with abominable attacks which target civilians ... we will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games," he said.

'I had to lift several bodies from on top of me'

Around 500-600 people were thought to have been in the club when the attack happened at around 1:15am local time, broadcaster CNN Turk said.

The club lies on the shore of the Bosphorus Strait in the Ortakoy district, and some jumped into the water to save themselves and were being rescued by police.

Police with riot gear and machine guns backed up by armoured vehicles blocked the area close to the Reina nightclub.

Witness Sinem Uyanik, whose husband Lutfu Uyanik was wounded in the attack, told AP she saw several bodies inside the nightclub.

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Hospital.

"I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out."

The attacker was believed to have entered the nightclub dressed as Santa Claus, private NTV television reported earlier.

Broadcaster CNN Turk initially said the attacker was thought still to be inside the building and that police special forces were preparing to raid it. NTV said the attacker's whereabouts were unclear.

Dozens of ambulances and police vehicles were dispatched to the club in Ortakoy, a cosmopolitan neighbourhood nestled under one of three bridges crossing the Bosphorus, and home to clubs, restaurants and art galleries.

DFAT determining if any Australians involved

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Australian embassy in Ankara was liaising with local authorities to determine if any Australians were caught up in the attack.

Reina is one of Istanbul's best-known nightclubs, popular with locals and tourists alike.

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Anadolu reported.

Ankara and Istanbul have been targeted by several attacks in 2016 carried out by the Islamic State (IS) group or Kurdish rebels, killing more than 180 people.

Turkey, part of the US-led coalition against IS, faces multiple security threats including spill-over from the war in neighbouring Syria.

It has seen repeated attacks and bombings blamed on IS as well as Kurdish militants in recent months.

US President Barack Obama "expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost", and said assistance would be offered to Turkish authorities.

Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that his country would press ahead with its fight against violent groups.

"Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror," Mr Bozdag said on Twitter.



ABC/wires

Topics: terrorism, unrest-conflict-and-war, turkey

First posted</s>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 — made in a statement posted to Twitter — cannot independently be verified by CNN.

“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.

“There is strong coordination and we will find him, no delay,” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters gathered outside an Istanbul hospital, where he had been visiting people injured in the attack.

Footage of the attacker shooting a security guard and police officer at the entrance of the nightclub has emerged, lending credence to Turkish authorities’ claim that he carried out the attack alone.

A security official showed the entrance to CNN, confirming that it was the site of the video.

“We are face to face with a terror attack,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters Sunday morning, adding, “the efforts to locate the terrorist are ongoing. Security forces have begun the necessary operations. God willing soon (the attacker) will be apprehended.”

World leaders condemned the shooting and US officials also called it a terrorist attack, making it the first of 2017.

‘At first we thought it was a fight’

Witnesses who survived the attack explained how what should have been a celebratory evening turned into a bloodbath.

“We were having fun. At first we thought it was a fight, then there was a lot of gunfire,” eyewitness Yunus Turk told CNN.

“After the gunfire everyone started to run toward the terrace. We ran as well. There was someone next to me who was shot and fell on the floor. We ran away and hid under the sofas.”

Another eyewitness said he didn’t know how many attackers there were, but he saw one person and hid.

“I got shot in the f****** leg, man,” he told journalists as he was taken into an ambulance.

On Sunday, the club issued a statement on its Facebook page.

“This terrible incident is a terror attack against our citizens’ peace, brotherhood, serenity, economy, tourism and against our nation,” the statement read.

“Our hearts bleed and the bullets are in our heart,” it added.

ISIS and Kurdish militants both have staged attacks in Turkey, which is still reeling from a bloody and failed military coup in July.

ISIS was suspected to be behind the attack on Ataturk Airport in June that left 44 people dead and an explosion at an August wedding, not far from the border with Syria, that killed at least 54 people.

Meanwhile, Turkish security forces clash almost daily with Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, militants, mostly in predominantly Kurdish parts of southeastern Turkey.

In December, a pair of bombings in Istanbul killed 44 people and wounded 155 others in an attack by a breakaway group of the PKK. The two explosions occurred after a heavily attended soccer game at Besiktas Vodafone Arena.

Also in December, a car bomb exploded near a public bus, killing 13 soldiers in the central province of Kayseri. Three days later, a gunman assassinated Russia’s ambassador to Turkey at an Ankara art gallery.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Bullets are seen being fired by the gunman - and flying off passing cars

At least 39 people, including at least 15 foreigners, have been killed in an attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey's interior minister says.

A gunman opened fire in Reina nightclub at about 01:30 local time (22:30 GMT), as revellers marked the new year.

Suleyman Soylu said efforts were continuing to find the attacker, who was believed to have acted alone.

At least 69 people were being treated in hospital, the minister added. Four were said to be in a serious condition.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attackers were trying to "create chaos" and pledged to "fight to the end" against terrorism.

'Different countries'

Addressing reporters early on Sunday, Mr Soylu said: "This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery.''

"A manhunt for the terrorist is under way. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon."

Only 21 of the victims had been identified, he said. Fifteen or 16 were foreigners, he said, and at least three of the Turkish victims may have been employees at the club.

Several hours later, Israel confirmed one of its citizens, 19-year-old Leanne Nasser, was among the dead.

Turkish state news agency Anadolu also quoted Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya as saying most of the dead were foreigners "from different countries - Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Turkey attack survivor: "There were bodies on the floor"

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Eyewitness Ismail Celebi was nearby when the attack happened

Image copyright Reuters Image caption At least 69 people were injured in the attack

Early media reports suggested the attacker may have been wearing a Santa Claus outfit, but newly-obtained CCTV footage shows the suspected attacker in a black coat outside the club.

Mr Soylu said the gunman was wearing a coat and trousers, but "we were informed that he was wearing different clothes inside".

'Several bodies'

Reina nightclub, in the the Ortakoy area of Istanbul, is an upmarket venue on the banks of the Bosphorus.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said the attacker killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club before entering and opening fire.

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me,'' the Associated Press news agency quoted Sinem Uyanik, who was inside the club, as saying.

"I had to lift several bodies from (on) top of me before I could get out. It was frightening.''

There were reportedly as many as 700 people in the nightclub at the time of the attack, some of whom jumped into the water to escape.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Reina nightclub, seen here in a file picture, is one of the most exclusive in Istanbul

The Turkish authorities have imposed a media blackout on coverage of the attack, citing security and public order concerns, but it does not extend to official statements.

Some media reports spoke of more than one attacker and Dogan news agency reported that some witnesses claimed the attackers were "speaking Arabic", but there is no confirmation of this.

IS threats: By Rengin Arslan, BBC Turkish, Istanbul

Despite there being no official statement about who might be behind this brutal attack, the finger of blame is being pointed at the so-called Islamic State.

In the last two years of attacks in Turkey, Kurdish militants have mostly targeted military forces and police, while IS is known to target civilians.

IS leaders have threatened Turkey and called on their followers to carry out attacks inside the country.

Turkey began a ground operation against IS as well as Kurdish groups inside Syria four months ago.

In a statement, President Erdogan condemned those trying to "demoralise our people and create chaos with abominable attacks which target civilians".

"We will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games."

US President Barack Obama, who is on holiday in Hawaii, was among the first international leaders to make a statement after being briefed by his team.

"The president expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost, directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, as necessary, and keep him updated as warranted," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Police are searching the city for the attacker, who left the scene

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the "cynical" murder of civilians. "Our shared duty is to decisively rebuff terrorist aggression," he said in a telegram quoted on the Kremlin website.

Turkey and Russia are working together on efforts to end the fighting in Syria, though they support different sides in the conflict.

Istanbul was already on high alert with some 17,000 police officers on duty in the city, following a string of terror attacks in recent months.

Many were carried out by so-called Islamic State (IS) or Kurdish militants.

Less than a fortnight ago, Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot dead by off-duty Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas as he gave a speech in the capital Ankara.

After the shooting, the killer shouted the murder was in revenge for Russian involvement in the conflict in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Deadly attacks in Turkey in 2016

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Scene of explosion in Ankara's central Kizilay district on 13 March

10 December: Twin bomb attack outside a football stadium in Istanbul kills 44 people, Kurdish militant group claims responsibility

20 August: Bomb attack on wedding party in Gaziantep kills at least 30 people, IS suspected

30 July: 35 Kurdish fighters try to storm a military base and are killed by the Turkish army

28 June: A gun and bomb attack on Ataturk airport in Istanbul kills 41 people, in an attack blamed on IS militants

13 March: 37 people are killed by Kurdish militants in a suicide car bombing in Ankara

17 February: 28 people die in an attack on a military convoy in Ankara

Were you in the area or have you been affected by this incident? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:</s>At least one U.S. citizen was injured during a deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub -- and the terrorist responsible for the massacre remained at large Sunday evening.

At least 39 people were killed and nearly 70 were wounded when a gunman opened fire shortly after a nightclub crowd had celebrated ringing in the New Year.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Gov. Vasip Sahin told reporters.



The attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the popular Reina club at around 1:15 a.m. before entering and firing on people partying inside.



Nearly two-thirds, or 24 of the people killed were foreign visitors, many from the Middle East, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu agency. Countries from India to Belgium reported their citizens among the casualties. Close to 70 others were injured.



An estimated 600 people were celebrating inside the club that is often frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and sports stars. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene after the attack and the music fell silent.



There was no immediate claim of responsibility for what authorities immediately called a terrorist attack. Turkish officials did not comment on the possible identity or motives of the assailant.



The mass shooting follows more than 30 violent acts that rocked Turkey -- a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State (ISIS) group in Syria and Iraq -- in the span of year.



The country endured multiple bombing attacks in 2016, including three in Istanbul alone which authorities blamed on ISIS, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast.



President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned "the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017" and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including the "foreign guests."



Among them were an 18-year-old Israeli woman; three Indian citizens; three Lebanese; a woman with dual French-Tunisian citizenship and her Tunisian husband; three Jordanians; and a Belgian national, according to the countries' respective foreign ministries.



Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman, who has not been identified, remains at large. "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing, he will be caught in a short period of time," Soylu said.



Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the upscale nightclub, on the shores of the Bosporus strait, on the European side of the city, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit -- a claim Prime Minister Binali Yildirim denied.



Security camera footage obtained by The Associated Press from Haberturk newspaper shows what appears to be a male assailant dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he shoots down a police officer outside the nightclub.



Footage taken by a different camera inside Reina shows a figure wearing different clothes and what could be a Santa Claus hat. The prime minister denied that the gunman wore a Santa outfit.



Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the venue and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued. Some customers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack.



Mehmet Dag, 22, was passing by the club and saw the suspect shoot at a police officer and a bystander. He said the suspect then targeted security guards, gunning them down and entering the club.



"Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds, and after two minutes the sound of an explosion," Dag said.



Turkish media said the local victims include a 22-year-old police officer and a 47-year-old travel agent, both of whom were shot outside the club.



One was given a funeral ceremony Sunday in Istanbul where his two sons joined the mourners gathered around the flag-draped casket, the private Dogan news agency reported.



Ayhan Arik, a tourism company employee who had brought foreign guests to the nightclub, was shot in the head, the news agency said.



The nightclub area remained sealed off on Sunday.



Heavily armed police blocked the snowy street in front of the nightclub where the entrance was covered with blue plastic sheeting below a Turkish flag. Police patrolled the Asian side of the Bosporus on the other side of the club.



Crime scene investigators were seen inside Reina searching through mingled piles of chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind during the panic among the guests.



And there were emotional scenes in front of a city morgue where the dead were brought for identification. Some relatives cried out and fell to the ground as they apparently learned the fate of their loved ones.



The U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul on Sunday warned American citizens to keep their movements in the city "to an absolute minimum."



A statement reminded U.S. citizens that extremists "are continuing aggressive efforts to conduct attacks in areas where U.S. citizens and expatriates reside or frequent."



The United States also denied reports in Turkish news outlets and on social media that its security agencies knew in advance that the nightclub in Istanbul was at risk of a terror attack.



The U.S. Embassy in Ankara said in a statement that "contrary to rumors circulating in social media, the U.S. Government had no information about threats to specific entertainment venues, including the Reina Club."



Turkey faces a wide spectrum of security threats.



ISIS claims to have cells in the country. Analysts think it was behind suicide bombings in January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbul's iconic Istiklal Street, as well as a high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Ataturk Airport in June.



In December, ISIS released a video purportedly showing the killing of two Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to "conquer" Istanbul. Turkey's jets regularly bomb the group in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab. Turkish authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of the video.



Turkey's violent 2016 also reflects the intensification of an armed conflict between the state and Kurdish rebels. Turkey-based Kurdish groups have claimed multiple suicide attacks. Ankara has said Kurdish affiliates in Syria and Iraq share responsibility.



Complicating matters, the country endured a coup attempt on July 15, blamed by Ankara on a U.S-based Islamist cleric. A state of emergency has been in force since then, and authorities have purged key institutions, including the army and police.



The consecutive calamities have left the nation on edge and kept tourists at bay. In Istanbul, a bustling city bridging Europe and Asia, the toll on the economy is evidenced in the closure of iconic restaurants and lowered hotel prices.



The nightclub attack drew quick condemnation from the West and Russia.



Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his Turkish counterpart a telegram of condolences, saying "it is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations."



"However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said.



The White House condemned what it called a "horrific terrorist attack" and offered U.S. help to Turkey.



Prime Minister Yildirim vowed to keep fighting terror organizations, but noted that, "The terror that happens here today may happen in another country in the world tomorrow."



The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>Thirty-nine people were killed and dozens wounded Sunday when a gunman reportedly wearing a Santa outfit stormed a popular Istanbul nightclub and sprayed bullets at revellers celebrating the New Year.

Here is what we know about the massacre, the latest to rock Turkey after a bloody 2016.

The assailant shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the entrance to the Reina nightclub and then went on a shooting rampage inside, officials said.

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin wasted no time branding the bloodshed a “terror attack”, the latest to strike Turkey after a wave of assaults by Islamic State jihadists and Kurdish guerrillas.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the search for the attacker was continuing.

Dogan news agency said there were two gunmen dressed in Santa outfits, although this has yet to be confirmed. According to some witnesses cited by Dogan, the attackers were “speaking Arabic”.

Read | Istanbul nightclub shooting: The latest in a string of deadly attacks in Turkey

TV pictures showed ambulances ferrying the wounded from the scene as police cordoned off the area.

The attack took place at the swanky Reina nightclub in the Ortakoy district on the banks of the Bosphorus on the European side of the city.

There were reportedly as many as 700 people dancing to celebrate the New Year, which chimed in barely an hour before the attack.

The club is known as one of the most exclusive nightspots in the city and it is notoriously hard to get past the bouncers, who seek out only the best dressed.

Read | ‘Walked on top of people’: Istanbul club attack witness talks of scenes of chaos

Television pictures showed shellshocked revellers dressed up to the nines -- men in suits and women in cocktail dresses -- emerging dazed from the scene.

The attack sparked mass panic, with some diving into the Bosphorus Strait between Europe and Asia to escape the bullets. Rescuers were battling to salvage them from the water.

Thirty-nine people were killed in the gun attack with another 69 wounded being treated in hospital, Interior Minister Soylu said. Twenty-one of the dead have been identified so far, including 16 foreigners and five Turks.

After a bloody 2016, the authorities were on their guard and at least 17,000 police officers were deployed in the city for the New Year festivities.

Turkey has endured bomb attacks at an airport, a suicide bombing at a wedding and an attack near a top football stadium last year.

Read | In pics: Celebrations turn into night of terror as gunman attacks Istanbul club

The attacks have been blamed either on Kurdish militants or the Islamic State jihadist extremist group.

Last month, the Russian ambassador was shot dead at an Ankara art gallery by an off-duty policeman shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and “Don’t forget Aleppo”.

The Turkish army is waging a four-month incursion in Syria to oust the IS group and Kurdish militants from the border area.

Rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and what is considered its radical offshoot the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) have claimed a spate of attacks since the collapse of a ceasefire in the summer of 2015.

National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States condemned in the strongest terms the “horrific terrorist attack”.

“That such an atrocity could be perpetrated upon innocent revellers, many of whom were celebrating New Year’s Eve, underscores the savagery of the attackers.”

Price added: “We reaffirm the support of the United States for Turkey, our Nato ally, in our shared determination to confront and defeat all forms of terrorism.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted: “Tragic start to 2017 in #Istanbul. My thoughts are w/ those affected by the attack on people celebrating New Year and w/ the Turkish people.”

The sentiment was echoed by the EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

“2017 starts with an attack in #Istanbul. Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies.”

Read | White House condemns ‘savagery’ of Istanbul attack that killed at least 39</s>A lone gunman shot a police officer and a civilian as he entered the Reina nightclub in the Ortakoy district of Istanbul At least five Saudi Arabians were among 39 people killed in the attack on the nightclub in Istanbul, a Saudi newspaper has reported. Turkish media are reporting the number of Saudi nationals killed in the mass shooting at Reina nightclub was at least seven.

Start the conversation, or Read more at ITV.</s>Attacker still at large after killing 39 and wounding 70 in New Year's Eve shooting rampage at upmarket Reina club.

A manhunt was on in Turkey for at least one assailant who shot dead 39 people in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations and fled the scene.

About 70 others were wounded, three of those people in critical condition, Binali Yildirim, Turkey's prime minister, said on Sunday.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu described the attack as a "massacre, a truly inhumane savagery".

"Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing, he will be caught in a short period of time," Soylu said.

Police said the gunman was in his mid-20s and spoke in broken Turkish.

The attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the popular Reina nightclub at around 1:15am before entering and opening fire on people partying inside, Istanbul Government Vasip Sahin said.

Yildirim said the attacker left a gun inside the venue and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and authorities did not name any suspects. The bloodiest attacks that Turkey endured in 2016 were the work of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or outlawed Kurdish fighters.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned "the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighbourhood in the first hours of 2017" and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests".

Of the 21 dead identified so far, 15 were foreigners. Nationals of Saudi Arabia, India, Morocco, Israel, Lebanon, Belgium and Libya were among those killed, authorities said.

On Sunday, heavily armed police blocked the street in front of the nightclub in the Ortakoy neighbourhood as crime scene investigators were inside searching through piles of chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind by partygoers during the attack.

The Reina lies on the shore of the Bosphorus Strait and is one of Istanbul's best-known nightclubs, popular with locals and tourists alike. Turkish police boats patrolled the Asian side of the Bosphorus on the other side of the club.

At least 500 people were thought to have been inside when the attack happened.

NTV broadcaster said the gunman fired between 120 and 180 rounds in the seven-minute attack, during which many revellers threw themselves into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus to escape death.

An eyewitness quoted by the Hurriyet newspaper said she had seen two attackers.

"Two people were shooting with weapons," she said. "Suddenly people started to run. My husband told me not to be afraid. He jumped on top of me. People ran over me. My man was shot in three places."

Turkey, part of the US-led coalition against ISIL, faces multiple security threats including fallout from the war in neighbouring Syria.

It has seen repeated attacks and bombings blamed on ISIL as well as fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in recent months.

The PKK and its affiliates are known to target mostly members of Turkey's security forces rather than civilians.

The prime minister's office issued a media blackout on the events and asked media to refrain from broadcasting and publishing anything that may cause "fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organisations".

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and Ankara.

In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some disguised as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.</s>ISTANBUL, Jan 1 (Reuters) - At least one gunman shot his way into an Istanbul nightclub packed with hundreds of New Year's revelers on Sunday, killing 35 people and wounding more than 40 in what the provincial governor described as a terrorist attack.

One assailant shot a police officer and a civilian as he entered the Reina nightclub before opening fire at random inside, Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said at the scene. Some reports suggested there were multiple attackers.

"A terrorist with a long-range weapon ... brutally and savagely carried out this attack by firing bullets on innocent people who were there solely to celebrate the New Year and have fun," Sahin told reporters.

The attack again shook Turkey as it tries to recover from a failed July coup and a series of deadly bombings in cities including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, some blamed on Islamic State and others claimed by Kurdish militants.

The club, one of Istanbul's most iconic, popular with locals and foreigners alike, overlooks the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe and Asia in the city's cosmopolitan Ortakoy district.

Around 500 to 600 people were thought to have been inside when the gunman opened fire at around 1:15 a.m. (2230 GMT), broadcaster CNN Turk said. Some jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus to save themselves and were rescued by police.

Sahin said there was only one attacker but other reports, including on social media, suggested there may have been at least two, dressed in Santa Claus costumes which they later ditched.

The Hurriyet newspaper cited witnesses as saying there were multiple attackers and that they shouted in Arabic.

"We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said don't be afraid, and he jumped on me. People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places," one club-goer, Sinem Uyanik, told the newspaper.

"I managed to push through and get out, it was terrible," she said, describing seeing people soaked in blood and adding that there appeared to have been at least two gunmen.

Dozens of ambulances and police vehicles were dispatched to the club in Ortakoy, a neighborhood on the city's European side nestled under one of three bridges crossing the Bosphorus and home to nightclubs, restaurants and art galleries.

"I didn't see who was shooting but heard the gun shots and people fled. Police moved in quickly," Sefa Boydas, a Turkish soccer player, wrote on Twitter.

"My girlfriend was wearing high heels. I lifted her and carried her out on my back," he said.

Hurriyet quoted Reina's owner, Mehmet Kocarslan, as saying security measures had been taken over the past 10 days after U.S. intelligence reports suggested a possible attack.

Turkey, a NATO member and part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, faces multiple security threats including spillover from the war in neighboring Syria.

It launched a military incursion into Syria in August against the radical Islamist group and is also fighting a Kurdish militant insurgency in its own southeast.

The New Year's Eve attack came five months after Turkey was shaken by a failed military coup, in which more than 240 people were killed, many of them in Istanbul, as rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and fighter jets in a bid to seize power.

Istanbul, Turkey's most populous city, has seen several attacks this year, the latest on Dec. 10, when two bombs claimed by Kurdish militants exploded outside a soccer stadium, killing 44 people and wounding more than 150.

In June, around 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded as three suspected Islamic State militants carried out a gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's main Ataturk airport.

President Obama expressed condolences on Saturday for the attack, and directed his team to offer U.S. help to Turkish authorities, the White House said.

"This afternoon the president was briefed by his national security team on the attack in Istanbul," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement.

"The president expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost, directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, as necessary, and keep him updated as warranted."

National Security Council Spokesperson Ned Price released a statement Saturday night, condemning the "horrific" attack "in the strongest terms." "That such an atrocity could be perpetrated upon innocent revelers, many of whom were celebrating New Year's Eve, underscores the savagery of the attackers," Price said, offering thoughts and prayers " and a speedy recovery to the wounded" before reaffirming US support for Turkey, which is a NATO ally.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.</s>Terrorists dressed as Santa Claus opened fire inside Reina nightclub in Istanbul shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day. At least 39 people were shot dead and 70 more were wounded.</s>Turkish police launched a massive manhunt Sunday for a gunman who killed 39 people, including many foreigners, in a rampage at an upmarket nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating New Year.

[ANKARA] Turkish police launched a massive manhunt Sunday for a gunman who killed 39 people, including many foreigners, in a rampage at an upmarket nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating New Year.

After the latest in a string of deadly attacks to hit the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the carnage sought to sow chaos, but vowed Turkey would never bow to the threat.

The shooting spree at the waterside Reina nightclub erupted when 2017 in Turkey was just 75 minutes old, as people were seeing out a year of unprecedented bloodshed that saw hundreds die in strikes blamed on jihadists and Kurdish militants and a failed coup.

The assailant shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the club entrance and then turned his gun on partygoers inside where up to 700 people were ringing in the New Year.

NTV broadcaster said the gunman fired between 120 and 180 rounds in the seven-minute attack, during which many revellers threw themselves into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus to escape death.

One witness spoke of the panic and carnage at the venue, considered one of Istanbul's swankiest.

"Just as we were settling down, by the door there was a lot of dust and smoke. Gunshots rang out," professional footballer Sefa Boydas told AFP.

"People were walking on top of people."

Italian tourist Maximilien said: "We came here to have a good time today but everything was suddenly transformed into chaos and a night of horror."

Television pictures showed party-goers dressed to the nines - men in suits and women in cocktail dresses - emerging from the exclusive club in a state of shock.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the gunman was still at large after slipping away unnoticed after the attack. But he denied earlier reports that a Santa Claus costume had been used as a disguise.

The assailant "left the gun and went away from the scene of the incident," he told reporters in Istanbul.

"It was an armed terrorist."

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman had arrived with a gun concealed underneath an overcoat but subsequently exited the venue wearing a different garment.

Police and intelligence services were beginning to piece together clues about the attack and the public would be informed soon, Mr Yildirim said.

However, he did not pin the blame on any particular group and no-one has yet claimed responsibility for the bloodshed.

The Firat news agency, seen as being close to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), quoted PKK leader Murat Karayilan as saying no Kurdish force was involved in the attack.

Last year, multiple attacks were blamed on the PKK or claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), seen as a radical offshoot of the group proscribed by Turkey's Western allies.

According to Dogan news agency, 35 of the victims had been identified - 24 foreigners and 11 Turks.

Another 65 people were being treated in hospital.

One survivor, Francois al-Asmar, from Lebanon, told of his lucky escape.

"I was saved by my passport which I was carrying right near my heart," he told Lebanese television.

The Reina club is a magnet for wealthy foreigners and there were a number of Arabs among the dead and wounded, including Saudis, Jordanians, Iraqis and Tunisians.

France said a dual-national Tunisian-French woman had died along with her Tunisian husband, while India said it had lost two nationals.

A young Arab Israeli woman, 18-year-old Lian Nasser, was killed, according to Israel's foreign ministry.

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said the attacker "targeted innocent people who had only come here to celebrate the New Year and have fun".

The attack evoked memories of the Nov 2015 carnage in Paris when Islamic State jihadists unleashed a gun and bombing rampage on nightspots in the French capital, killing 130 people including 90 at the Bataclan concert hall.

Mr Erdogan said such attacks aimed to "destroy our country's morale and create chaos" and vowed to fight "terror organisations" and the countries supporting them.

The attack crystallised fears New Year celebrations could present a tempting target for extremists.

From Sydney to Paris, Rio to London, security had been boosted over such fears and at least 17,000 police officers were deployed in Istanbul, some dressed themselves as Santa Claus as cover, according to television reports.

World leaders rushed to condemn the attacks, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying it was "hard to imagine a crime more cynical than the killing of civilians during a New Year's celebration".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel denounced "an inhumane, sneaky attack on people who wanted to celebrate" while Pope Francis condemned the shooting in his New Year message.
A gunman opens fire in a nightclub in Istanbul, on the European coast of the Bosphorus, killing at least 39 people with an additional 69 wounded.