Adrian Roji, Matt Cabelus, and Neftali Jimenez-Castro
Staff Writers
On New Year’s Eve in Istanbul, Turkey, a gunman entered a nightclub and killed 39 people. This was an act of terror at the highest degree. There were around 600 people having a good time and celebrating at the club until the gunman came in 75 minutes after the opening. Authorities have identified the killer who stormed into the Reina Night Club, but have not released a name or personal records. They have also detained 20 ISIS members that claim to have a connection to the attack.
In a statement posted on Twitter the group boasted about carrying out the first major terrorist attack of 2017. Police released a video that the suspected gunman took off in a market near the nightclub. An American business risk intelligence company stated that such a release suggests the attacker was part of a network supportive of or linked to ISIS.
It is said sixty-nine people were hospitalized. Sixteen of the several victims were foreigners. Those killed in the attack were from 14 countries, including India, Morocco, Jordan, Canada, Russia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Turkey shares a 500 mile border with Syria, making it easy for ISIS fighters and supplies to cross into the country. There have been struggles between the Turkish government and the terrorist group and containment has been an issue. These acts of terror have been ongoing in high frequency throughout the country and the government has done everything it can to stop them. Although efforts are being made to end the violence, there is only so much anyone can do. The tragic part of this story is that innocent people lost their lives on a night of celebration and happiness in a place where an attack of this magnitude could have never been expected.
The prime suspect in the shooting, Abdulgadir Masharipov, was arrested on January 16th.
