Istanbul – At least 35 people have been killed in a New Year’s Eve attack on a nightclub in central Istanbul, the city’s governor Vasip Sahin said early Sunday.
Sahin said he regarded the assault on one of the city’s best known clubs, in which 40 people were also injured, as terrorism.
He said an attacker had forced his way into Club Reina, where between 700 and 800 people were celebrating, by shooting dead a police officer and a civilian at the entrance.
An attack on the Reina nightclub in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve, 2016 has left at least 35 dead and 40 injured. (Credit Image: © Depo Photos via ZUMA Wire)
The DHA news agency earlier reported that two men dressed as Santa Claus had attacked the club on the banks of the Bosporus, opening fire with automatic weapons.
The state-run news agency Anadolu reported one attacker. Television footage from CNN Turk showed ambulances and police cars outside the club.
Security had been heightened in Istanbul ahead of New Year’s celebrations, with a reported 17,000 police on patrol, over fears the city could be targeted by terrorists.
Security services were controlling the entry to the central Istiklal Caddesi avenue, a popular nightlife strip, and conducting bag searches.
-dpa
