ISTANBUL (CelebrityAccess) — Abdulgadir Masharipov, an Uzbek man who Turkish authorities allege killed 39 people in a deadly New Year's Eve nightclub attack in Istanbul, has been captured.
According to Turkish Doğan News Agency, Masharipov was arrested in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul after a weeks-long intensive manhunt by Turkish security forces.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Istanbul Governor Vasip Şahin confirmed the identity of the alleged attacker and said Masharipov was a professional terrorist who was trained in Afghanistan and is now affiliated with the Islamic State.
Şahin stated that Masharipov admitted to carrying out the terror attack on the Reina nightclub. Photos of Masharipov depicted a bloodied man who appeared to have been severely beaten. Four other people, including a man of Iraqi origin and three women from Egypt, Senegal and Somalia, were detained along with Masharipov, Şahin said, per Dogan News. – Staff Writers
