Slaughtered by a terrorist in a Santa hat leaves 39 dead

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Jan 01 2017 10:43 PM
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Slaughtered by a terrorist in a Santa hat leaves 39 dead

ISTANBUL: At least 39 people, including 15 to 16 foreigners, have been killed when gunman dressed as Santa opened fire in a nightclub in Istanbul on Saturday night. A gunman opened fire in Reina nightclub at about 01:30 local time (22:30 GMT), as revellers marked the New Year.

At least 69 people were injured and being treated in hospital, the minister added. Four were said to be in a serious condition.

So far, only 21 of the victims had been identified and 15 or 16 were foreigners and at least three of the Turkish victims may have been employees at the club. Several hours later, Israel confirmed one of its citizens, 19-year-old Leanne Nasser, was among the dead.

Turkey and Russia are working together on efforts to end the fighting in Syria, though they support different sides in the conflict. Istanbul was already on high alert with some 17,000 police officers on duty in the city, following a string of terror attacks in recent months.

Deadly attacks in Turkey in 2016

On Dec 19, the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot dead by an assassin as he gave a speech at an art gallery in Ankara.
On Dec 10, a car bomb exploded near the Besiktas football stadium in the Macka/Dolmabahce area of Istanbul. 44 people, mostly police officers, were killed, and over 150 injured.
On Nov 24, a bomb exploded near the Governor's office in Adana. 2 people were killed and 21 injured.
On Oct 14, a rocket attack took place on the outskirts of Antalya towards Kemer.
On Oct 6, an explosion occurred near a police headquarters in the Yenibosna area on the European side of Istanbul
On Aug 24, a roadside bomb injured 2 Gendarmerie officers on the Antalya – Kemer road near Topcam.
On Aug 20, an attack on a wedding party in Gaziantep killed more than 50 people and injured around 100.
On June 28, Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul was attacked. More than 40 people were killed.
On June 7, a bomb attack in the Vezneciler area of Istanbul killed 7 police officers and 4 civilians. 36 people were injured.
On May 1, a bomb attack at the Central Police Station in Gaziantep killed two police officers and injured 23 others.
On April 27, there was a suspected suicide bomb attack at Bursa Ulu Mosque. The bomber was killed and 7 people slightly injured.
On Mar 19, there was a suicide bomb attack against tourists on Istiklal St in Istanbul, in which 4 tourists died and at least 36 people were injured.
On Mar 13, a bombing in Kizilay Square, central Ankara killed more than 30 people.
On Feb 17, a large bomb attack near a military barracks on Eskisehir Road in Ankara killed 28 people.
On Jan 12, a suicide bomb attack in Sultanahmet in Istanbul killed 10 tourists.