Dozens killed in Istanbul nightclub attack

UPDATE: Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

The militant group described the lone attacker as a “heroic soldier of the caliphate.” It called the nightclub a place “where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast.” Police detained eight people this morning in connection to the attack but continue to search for the gunman.

According to the ISIS-linked Aamaq News Agency, the attacker fired an automatic rifle and detonated hand grenades on the orders of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The report described Turkey as “the servant of the cross” and suggested it launched the attack in retaliation for Turkey’s involvement with anti-terror efforts in Syria and Iraq.

“We let infidel Turkey know that the blood of Muslims that is being shed by its airstrikes and artillery shelling will turn into fire on its territories,” the report said.

Investigators believe the gunman is from from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan and might be part of the same cell that carried out an attack at Istanbul’s airport in June.

About 600 people filled the upscale Reina club to ring in the new year. Two-thirds of the victims are foreign nationals, mostly from the Middle East. Seven victims were from Saudi Arabia; three each were from Lebanon and Iraq; two each were from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan. Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria, and Russia each lost one citizen. Only 11 victims came from Turkey.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (12/31/16, 7:50 p.m.): A terrorist reportedly dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at a Turkish nightclub early Sunday morning, killing at least 35 people and wounding another 40.

Officials aren’t sure whether more than one attacker might have been involved. No group has claimed responsibility yet.

Turkey beefed up security ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, deploying 17,000 police officers in Istanbul. Some security personnel were dressed as street vendors or camouflaged as Santa Claus.

The country has endured numerous terror attacks in 2016, some claimed by Islamic State, others by Kurdish separatists. The Kurdish fighters, who want their own autonomous state, typically target police or military personnel and installations. More than 180 people died in attacks during the last 12 months.

Elsewhere around the world, revelers rang in the new year without any problems. Hundreds of people thronged Times Square in New York hours ahead of the iconic ball drop. After recent terror attacks in France in Germany in which radical Islamists used trucks to plow into crowds, New York officials stationed dozens of 20-ton sanitation trucks weighted with an extra 15 tons of sand to block off streets leading to the massive outdoor party. About 7,000 police officers are on patrol.

“We’re well prepared,” police Commissioner James O’Neill said. “All New Yorkers should feel safe, especially if you’re in Times Square. It is going to be the most protected place in the city.”