Uzbek citizen Abdulgadir Masharipov, the prime suspect in the Reina nightclub massacre on Jan. 1, fled with his son, the Hürriyet newspaper reported.
According to the report, Masharipov’s wife was apprehended by police in İstanbul’s Maltepe district. Police sources noted that after the nightclub attack, in which 39 people were killed, Masharipov fled with his 4-year-old son, leaving his wife and 18-month-old daughter behind.
Police information indicates that Masharipov and his family arrived in Konya province at the beginning of 2016, and at the end of December they moved to another home in the Başakşehir district of İstanbul. His wife told the police that he bade farewell and left a house in the Zeytinburnu district of İstanbul, where he had met with his family, before the attack. Masharipov then returned to the house and left with his son aged 4 the same day. According to the report, police have taken Masharipov’s daughter under protection.
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the Reina attack. Masharipov was called “Ebu Muhammed Horasani,” by ISIL.