Two foreigners arrested at Istanbul airport over nightclub attack

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Turkish authorities have arrested two foreign citizens at Istanbul's main airport in connection with the New Year's nightclub attack.

The pair were detained on arriving at Ataturk International Airport and have been taken to the Turkish city's police headquarters for questioning, state-run media reported.

The arrests came as police continued to launch raids in the hunt for the attacker who killed 39 people in the Reina nightclub on New Year's Eve.

Sixteen people have now been held as more tragic details emerge of those who died when the man opened fire.

Earlier, new footage was released which appeared to show the suspected gunman in the Istanbul massacre filming himself walking around the popular tourist destination of Taksim Square.

Turkish tourism industry workers, concerned at the loss of trade that has followed a series of terrorist attacks in the last year, marched to the Reina on Tuesday to demand action from their government.

Turkish security experts said the attack, which has been claimed by ISIS, was the work of a professional "killer", who has probably fired bullets in "real clash zones" and "shot at humans before", local media reported.

Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said authorities are close to identifying the gunman after finding his fingerprints and getting a basic description of him.

Several media reports said the man was believed to be from the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

It said he arrived in the Turkish city of Konya with his wife and two children.

Kyrgyz security services said they are co-operating with Turkey.

Most of those who died in the nightclub attack were foreigners - with citizens from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Libya, India and Canada among those killed at the venue on the banks of the Bosphorus.




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