No clarity on when ‘selfie’ video was shot or how footage was obtained
The alleged suspect. Pic/AFP
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Istanbul: Turkish media yesterday ran a “selfie video” of a man they say is the gunman who killed 39 people, including two Indians, at an Istanbul nightclub.
The video, broadcast on Turkish television, shows the alleged gunman filming himself with a cellphone at Istanbul’s Taksim Square. It wasn’t immediately clear if it was filmed before or after the New Year massacre at the Reina nightclub.
No details have been released as to why the authorities might think the man on the video is a suspect in New Year’s attack, or how the footage was obtained.
The authorities said they were making progress in identifying the gunman, who is still at large, and that at least eight people have been detained in connection with the attack.
There were conflicting reports over the gunman’s identity. Several media outlets, citing unnamed security sources, said the man was believed to be from a Central Asian country and may have been part of the same cell that staged a June attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport that killed 45 people. Haber Turk newspaper said the man is thought to be a member of China’s Muslim Uighur minority.