- Title: Turks mourn for victims of nightclub attack with suspect still at large
- Date: 2nd January 2017
- Summary: ISTANBUL, TURKEY (JANUARY 2, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ORTAKOY MOSQUE AND BOSPHORUS BRIDGE TRAFFIC ON BOSPHORUS BRIDGE VARIOUS OF TURKISH FLAG HUNG ON STREET / CARS IN TRAFFIC (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) ISTANBUL RESIDENT, ESREF KOCAR, SAYING: "We are deeply saddened. We are saddened to see Turkey make news with these incidents. Humans were killed. Some were trying to make their living, others were tourists who came for partying. They were there for different reasons. But there is no good and bad in terrorism. Terror is always bad. There is no other explanation. Shame on those who did this and shame on those who gave the orders." (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) ISTANBUL RESIDENT, FATIH TURAN, SAYING: "There is nothing to say. Terrorism is bad. 39 people were killed. I condemn this attack and I can't say more. " TURKISH FLAG ON BOSPHORUS BRIDGE ARMOURED POLICE VEHICLES DEPLOYED ON STREET CARS DRIVING PAST REINA NIGHTCLUB VARIOUS OF MAN AT SITE VARIOUS OF FLOWERS LEFT UNDER POLICE FENCES VARIOUS OF POLICEMEN AT SITE ANKARA, TURKEY (JANUARY 2, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NEWSPAPERS ON DISPLAY
- Embargoed: 17th January 2017 06:45
- Keywords: Turkey Istanbul attack night club
- Location: ANKARA AND ISTANBUL, TURKEY
- City: ANKARA AND ISTANBUL, TURKEY
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,International/National Security
- Reuters ID: LVA0015XDZ39J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Turks expressed sorrow on Monday (January 2) over the deadly attack on a packed nightclub on the shores of Istanbul's Bosphorus waterway that killed 39 people, including many foreigners.
A gunman opened fire on New Year revellers at a nightclub just over an hour into the new year and then fled the scene.
The attack shook NATO member 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.
On Monday, forensic investigators continued to collect evidence at the club as Turks condemned the attack. Residences of Istanbul expressed their sorrow over the killings.
Security services had been on alert across Europe for new year celebrations following an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that killed 12 people. Only days ago, an online message from a pro-Islamic State group called for attacks by "lone wolves" on "celebrations, gatherings and clubs".
Turkey faces multiple threats including spillover from the war in Syria. Beside its cross-border campaign against Islamic State, it is fighting Kurdish militants in its southeast.
The New Year's Day attack came five months after 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.
More than 100,000 people, including soldiers and police officers, have been sacked or suspended in a subsequent crackdown ordered by Erdogan, raising concern both about civic rights and the effectiveness of Turkey's security apparatus. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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