2 Indians among 39 killed in Istanbul terror attack
Reports say that the attackers was dressed in a Santa Claus costume. The attack took place at the Reina nightclub, in the Ortakoy area, at about 01:30 local time.
Istanbul, Jan 1: At least 39 people were killed and 40 others injured in an attack on a nightclub in Istanbul. India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said two of the 39 killed were Indians.
The two Indians have been identified as Abis Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Khushi Shah from Gujarat.
Reports say that the attackers was dressed in a Santa Claus costume. The attack took place at the Reina nightclub, in the Ortakoy area, at about 01:30 local time.
Several
hundred
people
in
the
nightclub
at
the
time,
some
of
whom
are
believed
to
have
jumped
into
the
Bosphorus
to
escape.
Authorities
confirmed
that
it
was
a
terror
attack.
Istanbul
had
been
on
high
alert
with
17,000
police
officers
on
duty
in
the
city.
The
city
which
has
been
a
target
of
the
Islamic
State
has
been
on
very
high
alert
since
the
past
one
year.
Less than a fortnight ago, the Russian ambassador, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead by off-duty Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas as he gave a speech in the capital Ankara in December.
After the shooting, the killer shouted the murder was in revenge for Russian involvement in the conflict in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
OneIndia News