Jihad? Not clear yet, but the Islamic State has called for such attacks.
“Istanbul nightclub attack: At least 35 dead after gunmen open fire at New Year’s Eve party,” by Andrew Griffin and Lizzie Dearden, Independent, December 31, 2016:
A gunman has reportedly opened fire inside a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
At least 35 people have been killed and another at least 40 people have been injured in the attack, according to the Istanbul governor.
Large numbers of police and paramedics were sent to the well-known Reina bar in the Ortaköy district, CNN Turk reported.
“Many” people were injured, according to Turkey’s NTV, with at least six ambulances transferring them to hospital for treatment. As many as 600 people are thought to have been in the club when attackers entered it, not longer after midnight.
Two armed men were involved in the attack, reported NTV, and an operation is ongoing to capture an assailant who is still inside the club. Those men may have been dressed in “Santa costumes”, eyewitnesses told CNN Turk.
There was no immediate confirmation of casualties from police.
Reina is a large and well-known club in the middle of Istanbul….