Issuing a statement following a deadly attack on a popular İstanbul nightclub in the first hours of New Year’s Day, Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said that the terrorist attack directly targeted people’s daily lives.
The main opposition leader also said that the lack of accountability on the part of officials and the absence of any resignations lead to vulnerability in the fight against terrorism.
In the run-up to New Year’s Eve, debates over celebrating the new year took place on social media as Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (DİB) issued a Friday sermon to be preached in all Turkish mosques on Dec. 30 declaring such celebrations “illegitimate.”
Following the attack that killed at least 39 including 24 foreign nationals, President of the DİB Mehmet Görmez condemned the incident, saying that there is no difference between targeting an entertainment venue or a temple and that no terrorist attack is acceptable.
Thirty-five of the victims have been identified thus far, and police are continuing to search for the assailant.
Sixty-nine people were injured, with four in critical condition.