The suspect in an attack at İstanbul’s Reina nightclub that killed 39 people on New Year’s Eve is also wanted in his home country of Uzbekistan due to his participation in extremist groups in Afghanistan.
Abdulkadir Masharipov, an Uzbek citizen, was captured on Monday night in İstanbul in the company of his 4-year-old son. Turkish media reported on Tuesday that the gunman had left his home country six years ago for Afghanistan and joined a terrorist group there. Since then, according to Uzbek officials, he has been on a wanted list in Uzbekistan.
Codenamed Ebu Muhammed El Horasani Abdulkav, Masharipov was born in Uzbekistan in 1983, was trained as a militant in Afghanistan and speaks four languages.
Masharipov likely entered Turkey illegally from an eastern province in January 2016.
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) had claimed responsibility for the Reina nightclub attack.