Turkish media run 'selfie' video of alleged nightclub gunman

Turkish media on Tuesday broadcast a "selfie video" of the alleged gunman in the Istanbul nightclub attack that left a Canadian and 38 other people dead.

The video on Turkish television shows the alleged gunman, who is still at large, filming himself with a cellphone at Istanbul's TaksimSquare. It wasn't immediately clear if it was filmed before or after the New Year's massacre at the Reina nightclub.

No details have been released as to why the authorities might think the man on the video is the person behind the attack early New Year's Day, or how the footage was obtained.

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ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday, saying a "soldier of the caliphate" had carried out the mass shooting in response to Turkish military operations against the militant group in northern Syria.

The assailant has experience in combat for sure. Unnamed securitysource

The gunman appears to have been well-versed in guerrilla warfare and may have trained in Syria, according to a newspaper report and a security source that spoke to Reuters.

"The assailant has experience in combat for sure hecould have been fighting in Syria for years," the unnamed securitysource said, adding that he was likely to have beendirected in his actions by the jihadist group.

The gunman opened fire inside the club with an automatic rifle, reloading half a dozen times and shooting thewounded as they lay on the ground.

TheHaberTurknewspaper cited a barman at the club as saying the assailant also threw several explosive devices, apparently in order to disorientate people and givehimself time to reload.

Suspect questioned and released

The state-run Anadolu news agency said a total of 14 people had been detained. Two foreign nationals were detained at Istanbul's main Ataturk airport in connection with the attack, broadcaster NTV said.No information on their nationalities was available.

Turkey's interior minister said authorities had stepped up security on public transportation such as trams and buses as well as at airports and train and bus terminals.

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Some Turkish media reported that police were seeking a 28-year-old Kyrgyz national believed to be the gunman.

Kyrgyzstan's security service said it was in touch with Turkish authorities and that a man had been questioned by Kyrgyz police and then released.

Turkish officials have not commented on the details of the investigation. But government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday that the authorities were close to fully identifying the gunman, after gathering fingerprints and information on his appearance.

Haber Turk earlier said the assailant is thought to be a member of China's Muslim Uighur minority. Without citing a source, the newspaper said he had arrived in the Turkish city of Konya with his wife and two children in order not to raise suspicions. His family members were detained, the newspaper said.

Several media outlets, citing unnamed security sources, said the assailant was believed to be from a central Asian nation and may have been part of the same cell that staged a June attack on Istanbul's Ataturk Airport that killed 45 people.

Turkey rocked by violence

The man, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian in the early hours of 2017 outside the Reina club before entering and firing at some of the estimated 600 people inside. The establishment is frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and athletes.

The mass shooting follows more than 30 violent acts that rocked the NATO member country in 2016.

Turkey launched an offensive to northern Syria in August in a bid to clear a strategic border area of ISIS militants and contain the gains of Kurdish fighters. Turkish jets are regularly bombing ISIS targets in the Syrian town of al-Bab as Turkish-backed Syrian opposition force try to capture it from the extremists.

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U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by telephone on Tuesday with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to offer his condolences for those killed and wounded in the attack, the White House said in a statement.

Obama also welcomed Turkey's efforts to facilitate a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and a return to political negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition, the statement said.

Travel warnings

On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates warned its citizens not to travel to Turkey following the attack, with its Foreign Ministry issuing a terse statement in Arabic to "postpone plans to travel to Turkey until further notice."

Seven of the nightclub victims were from Saudi Arabia,three each were from Lebanon and Iraq, andtwo each were from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan.

The Canadian who was killed has been identified as29-year-old AlaaAlMuhandis, ofMilton, Ont.One citizen each from Kuwait, Israel, Syria and Russia also died.