Turkish Police have arrested the terrorist who carried out the New Year's Eve Reina nightclub attack that killed 39 people in the Istanbul district of Ortaköy, along with five other suspects, following a security operation last night in the suburb of Esenyurt. Unnerved residents described the moment of the takedown, and speculated on potential security flaws that may have allowed the suspects to evade police in the two weeks following the nightclub attack.
Istanbul Anti-Terror Branch (TEM) squads conducted a heavy security operation at the complex building where the suspected Reina attacker was residing. The raid was launched late last night at 23:30 in the Istanbul suburb of Esenyurt.
The terrorist, who goes by the codename of Ebu Muhammed El Horasani, was arrested along with 5 other people in the aftermath of the operation. Residents of the building complex where the operation took place described how it unfolded.
"Police officers quickly stormed upstairs"
"We were sitting at home when the noises came. We went out to inspect the source. Police officers were storming upstairs. Afterward, we heard someone shouting "on the ground". Police officers later told us it was the Reina attacker. They escorted the man out. "
"Up until now nothing struck us as suspicious"
"At 23:43, I heard noises. I thought it was a brawl at first. I called the Police Emergency number to report it. Later, I realized that Special Forces police officers were carrying out an operation. I then saw 3 women, among them a dark-skinned woman, along with a child of about 3-4 years old, being escorted out. They later led out the terrorist. Up until now nothing struck us as suspicious. We haven't had any contact with them. Our apartment complex is a heavily secured place where you can only enter and exit using special ID cards. The only thing lacking was security cameras, which I think the terrorist exploited." Another resident remarked, "the only thing that attracted our attention was the fact that a large number of dark-skinned foreigners frequented the place. Among them was the black woman I saw being escorted out along with the other terrorists," he said. The police investigation at the site is still ongoing.
