Early in the morning on January 1, a gunman opened fire on a New Year’s Eve party at Istanbul’s Reina Nightclub, killing 39 people and wounding many more. The following day, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, calling the assailant “a hero soldier of the caliphate.” Today, January 16, New York Post reports that a suspect has been identified and captured:

“The suspect was captured in a special operations police raid on a house in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district, private NTV television reported. The broadcaster said he had been staying in the house belonging to a friend from Kyrgyzstan.”

The Turkish Hurriyet newspaper has now reportedly identified the suspect as Abdulkadir Masharipov. In contrast to Hurriyet‘s initial postulation that the suspect was Kyrgyzstani, Masharipov is an Uzbekistan national. Citing Turkish media sources Dogan News Agency and NTV, New York Post goes on to note that Masharipov resisted arrest before being detained alongside his Kyrgyz harborer and three women. Reportedly, the accomplice’s four-year-old child was at the scene at the time of the arrests, and taken into protective custody.

New York Post further delineated the following details surrounding Masharipov’s arrest:

“The television channel said police established the gunman’s whereabouts four or five days ago, but delayed the raid so they could monitor his movements and contacts.

The state-run Anadolu Agency also reported the arrest and identified the gunman, only with a slightly different spelling of his first name, Abdulgadir. It said a Kyrgyz man and three women were detained with him.

Anadolu said the suspects were being taken to Istanbul’s main police headquarters for questioning. Police were carrying out raids on other suspected Islamic State group cells, the news agency said without providing details.”

Via: New York Post

Read More:

ISIS claims responsibility for Istanbul nightclub shooting; death toll now at 39

UPDATED At least 35 dead following Istanbul nightclub shooting Breaking