Two foreigners have been detained at Istanbul Ataturk Airport over the mass shooting at a nightclub in Istanbul on Sunday, which killed 39 people, including two Indians.
Also read: Russia readies for brutal battle for Palmyra with ISIS
Police have launched raids in the city which has resulted in the arrest of 12 people. Authorities have fingerprints and a basic description, and are trying to "speedily" identify the suspect, said Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus.
"We will find him, no delay," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.
Police have also released images of the suspect, but have not named him yet. Local media quoted police sources as saying that he may have been from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan. The investigators also think that the suspect belongs to the same Islamic State cell that attacked Istanbul Ataturk Airport in June 2016.
The IS member reportedly travelled to Turkey with his wife and two children to dupe the authorities. Kurtulmus said the nightclub attack was ISIS' message to the country to deter further operations against the jihadist group. However, the operations will not be affected.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack on Reina nightclub, where hundreds of people were celebrating the New Year. They made the claim on Twitter and boasted that it was their first major terrorist attack of 2017.
"In continuation of the blessed operations which ISIS carries out against Turkey, a soldier of the brave caliphate attacked one of the most popular nightclubs while Christians were celebrating their holiday," the statement read.
