Istanbul nightclub attack that left 39 dead was carried out by ISIS with the SUPPORT of intelligence officials, Turkish deputy PM sensationally claims
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack in which 39 people were killed
FOREIGN spies helped an ISIS terrorist murder 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Eve, a top politician has claimed.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the mass shooting at the Reina nightclub was carried out professionally with the involvement of an intelligence organisation.
"It appears the Reina attack is not just a terrorist organisation's act, but there was also an intelligence organisation involved. It was an extremely planned and organised act," Kurtulmus said during an interview with broadcaster A Haber.
He did not say which nation's spies were responsible but recently Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently said "it's very clear" that the US-led coalition is supporting terrorist groups in Syria, including ISIS.
Related stories
"They give support to terrorist groups including Daesh (Arabic for IS)," Erdogan said.
The US has strenuously denied the claim.
Kurtulmuş also said the government and Turkey’s spy agencies are probing what measures can be taken to counter Turkey's growing terror problem.
"As they are supported by some organisations with intelligence capacity, they can conduct terror acts in the way your security system may not even be able to think of," he added.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the New Year's Eve attack, saying it was revenge for Turkish military involvement in Syria.
The main suspect is an Uzbek national named Abdulkadir Masharipov who is said to have arrived in the Turkish city from the centre of the country on December 15, just over a fortnight before the atrocity was committed.
Masharipov, codename “Ebu Muhammad Horasani” is accused of killing 39 people and wounding 65 others at the club, although some eyewitnesses have suggested there was more than one attacker.
Turkish newspaper reports that an ISIS cell operating in the central region of Konya consists of Uzbeks who provided Masharipov with support.
He remains at large after escaping the nightclub despite a huge police presence in the city amid fears of attacks on New Years revellers.