Istanbul gunman honed his deadly skills on Syria’s streets, says Turkish paper
Istanbul — The attacker who killed 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub had fought in Syria for Islamic State jihadists and used techniques he had learnt in the civil war, a report said on Tuesday. The Hurriyet daily said that the attacker — who has yet to be formally identified and remains on the run — showed signs of being well trained in the use of arms. He wreaked havoc inside the Reina nightclub on New Year’s night early Sunday, spraying some 120 bullets from his Kalashnikov before disappearing. The IS extremist group on Monday claimed the attack, the first time it has clearly stated being behind a major attack in Turkey. Hurriyet’s well-connected columnist Abdulkadir Selvi said the attacker had been identified, with investigators focusing on the idea he was from in Central Asia. He said he had been trained in street fighting in residential areas in Syria and used these techniques in the attack, shooting from the hip rather than as a sniper.
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