New Year’s Eve attacker arrested in Istanbul

Turkish police have arrested the main suspect in the New Year’s Eve carnage in Istanbul, after a large-scale manhunt. Abdulkadyr Masharipov, an Uzbek national, is believed by the Turkish authorities to be the person who carried the attack on an Istanbul’s nightclub that left 39 dead (including 25 foreigners) and 65 injured.

The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reports that the police found Masharipov along with his young son in a luxurious apartment in the city. A Kyrgyzstan national and three women were also detained, on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activity.

About a thousand policemen and members of special services participated in the manhunt for the New Year’s Eve attacker.

So-called Islamic State said it was behind the attack. In the days that followed the attack, over 40 people were arrested on suspicion of having links with ISIS.