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Istanbul: 39 People Killed in Christian-Targeted New Year's Eve Attack

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

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  • Updated Jan 03, 2017

An attack on New Year’s Eve targeting Christians at an Istanbul nightclub killed 39 and wounded dozens of others. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Blaze reports that the attacker used hand grenades and an automatic weapon in the attack. He reportedly escaped in the chaos that ensued in the nightclub after the attack.

Following the attack, the Islamic State-linked Aamaq News Agency said that a “heroic soldier of the caliphate” had carried out an attack at the Turkish nightclub “where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast.”

“We let infidel Turkey know that the blood of Muslims that is being shed by its airstrikes and artillery shelling will turn into fire on its territories,” the news agency continued.

Turkish police have detained eight people possibly involved in the attack, but are still searching for the main perpetrator.

Those killed in the attack were from various countries, including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iraq, Tunisia, India, Morocco, and Jordan. Additionally, Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria, and Russia each lost a citizen in the attack.

Turkey has seen increasing violence in the past year, most notably a bombing attack in the Istanbul airport in June for which the Islamic State took responsibility and a failed coup in July that left the country in turmoil.

 

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: January 3, 2017