At least 35 are dead and forty wounded in the first terrible toll of the terrorist attack that happened shortly after one in the morning in Istanbul. The attack was carried out during the celebrations for the arrival of 2017. An attacker dressed as Santa Claus entered into "Reina" which is a well-known nightclub in the Besiktas district, on the European side of the Turkish city. The first information given by the governor of Istanbul province Vasip Sahin, said it is "certainly" a terrorist attack.
The velocity curve
According to the governor, the attack was carried out by a single person while the local media had initially talked about two assailants armed with Kalashnikovs.
Witnesses said that many of the nightclub customers rushed into the waters of the Strait of Bosporus to escape from the terrorist who was firing wildly. Among the victims was also a policeman who tried to stop the assailant at the entrance of the venue. Some witnesses told local media that during the shooting the man shouted phrases in Arabic.
Some of the injured were rescued on the spot, others were transported to the hospital. Inside the Reina there were at least 500 people, including several foreigners that were there to celebrate the new year.
Attack also moves the Italian government
The Italian Foreign Ministry has set up a crisis unit to check the possible presence of Italian citizens at the local time of the attack.
The news is still very fragmented because the Turkish authorities have imposed a news blackout on the local media. There is suspicion that this was terror motivated attack and experts have suggested the hand of ISIS behind this massacre. Among the first to bear witness to their proximity to the Turkish people was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini.
Continuous attacks in Istanbul
It is not the first time that this district of Istanbul has been hit by terror attacks. In fact, last December 10 there was an attack on the Besiktas stadium that caused 38 deaths and 166 wounded in that case the act of Terrorism had Kurdish connections.
