The ISIS-linked Aamaq News Agency said the New Year’s Eve attacker was a “heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast.”
The statement said the gunman opened fire with an automatic rifle in “revenge for God’s religion and in response to the orders” of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Turkish authorities said over the weekend that they suspected ISIS was behind the shooting, but the terrorist organization remained silent until Monday.
Authorities also believe that the gunman, who remains at large, comes from a Central Asian nation, likely either Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, the pro-government Karar and the mainstream Hurriyet newspapers reported, citing unnamed security sources.
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