ISIS Claims Responsibility for Istanbul New Year’s Attack

ISIS Claims Responsibility for Istanbul New Year's Attack

ISIS is claiming responsibility for an attack that left 39 people dead and dozens more injured an hour after midnight on New Year’s Day in Istanbul.

Officials say the attack started around 1:15 a.m. at the Reina nightclub, which overlooks the Bosporus. As many as 600 people were celebrating the New Year when a lone attacker, armed with a rifle, burst in and began to open fire into the crowd. Police believe he killed a police officer outside the club to get in before his attack began.

Television footage shows ambulances rushing to the scene as police began the search for the lone gunman. Currently, police have 12 people in custody, but they do not believe they have the suspect who pulled the trigger. He has been identified as 28-year-old Lakhe Mashrapov, a citizen of Kyrgystan.

The owner of the Reina nightclub said security had been beefed up at the location after American intelligence officials warned about an attack in Turkey over the holidays.

The shooting came just days after Nashir Media Foundation, a group identified by experts as being pro-Islamic State, published the last of three messages calling on individual attackers in the West to turn the holiday season into days of “terror and blood.” The message urged attacks on clubs, markets and movie theatres.

An ISIS group made a statement on Twitter that boasted the attack was the first major terror attack of 2017.

Featured

  • Security Industry Association Announces the 2026 Security Megatrends

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified and forecasted the 2026 Security Megatrends, which form the basis of SIA’s signature annual Security Megatrends report defining the top 10 factors influencing both near- and long-term change in the global security industry. Read Now

  • The Future of Access Control: Cloud-Based Solutions for Safer Workplaces

    Access controls have revolutionized the way we protect our people, assets and operations. Gone are the days of cumbersome keychains and the security liabilities they introduced, but it’s a mistake to think that their evolution has reached its peak. Read Now

  • A Look at AI

    Large language models (LLMs) have taken the world by storm. Within months of OpenAI launching its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, it amassed more than 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Read Now

  • First, Do No Harm: Responsibly Applying Artificial Intelligence

    It was 2022 when early LLMs (Large Language Models) brought the term “AI” into mainstream public consciousness and since then, we’ve seen security corporations and integrators attempt to develop their solutions and sales pitches around the biggest tech boom of the 21st century. However, not all “artificial intelligence” is equally suitable for security applications, and it’s essential for end users to remain vigilant in understanding how their solutions are utilizing AI. Read Now

  • Improve Incident Response With Intelligent Cloud Video Surveillance

    Video surveillance is a vital part of business security, helping institutions protect against everyday threats for increased employee, customer, and student safety. However, many outdated surveillance solutions lack the ability to offer immediate insights into critical incidents. This slows down investigations and limits how effectively teams can respond to situations, creating greater risks for the organization. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.