Daesh attacker confesses all during official interrogation
More than 10 days after his capture, police officially revealed the details of the Uzbek-national Daesh militant Abdulgadir Masharipov's interrogation. Reina nightclub attacker Masharipov, who killed 39 people in the nightclub attack in Istanbul on New Year's Eve, was captured by Turkish security forces on Jan. 16. The attacker was caught in a Daesh safe house in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul after an intense manhunt conducted by the Turkish Intelligence Agency (MIT) and Istanbul police.
The 34-year-old terrorist was captured along with one Iraqi man. Three women from Egypt, Senegal and Somalia were also detained in the flat being used as a hideout. Two drones, two handguns and $197,000 in cash were seized in the operation. In addition to the amount seized in the hideout, the police previously seized $150,000 in Istanbul's Pendik district on Jan. 5, allegedly to be paid to Masharipov for the Reina attack.
In his interrogation, Masharipov said that he was involved with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and served the organization as a propagandist. "I filmed videos and uploaded them onto YouTube. I got my weapons training in this organization," said the Daesh militant.
After some ideological clashes with the organization, Masharipov left the Uzbekistan-based radicals and traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan before reaching Iran, where he met Daesh. "I then illegally came to Turkey through Iran and settled in Konya with my wife and two children. I received the order for the attack from Raqqa [the self-proclaimed capital of Daesh]." He claimed that the so-called order was delivered to him through a voice recording sent from a smart phone application. "We planned a bomb attack, but we figured out that we could not succeed because of the security measures. The weapon was delivered to me by a friend in Zeytinburnu," Masharipov added.
He said he sent the videos and the photographs he took in Taksim — one of the most crowded places in Istanbul, especially during the holidays — to a high ranking Daesh member in Syria. "But, I could not carry out the attack in Taksim. So, I attacked Reina," he continued.
"I killed the people in Reina because they were infidels. I do not believe that Muslims celebrate New Year's Eve," said Masharipov.
Following the attack, the terrorist planned to escape from Turkey with his 4.5-year-old son, but he was not able to meet him. "I hid out in houses in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu, Sefaköy and Esenyurt districts. If I could have met up with my son, I would have fled Turkey though İzmir and Hatay. I arranged a religious marriage ceremony with one of the women I met in the hideout house in Esenyurt. I never considered taking my wife or my daughter with me. I only wanted to flee with my son," the Uzbek terrorist said.
The 34-year-old terrorist was captured along with one Iraqi man. Three women from Egypt, Senegal and Somalia were also detained in the flat being used as a hideout. Two drones, two handguns and $197,000 in cash were seized in the operation. In addition to the amount seized in the hideout, the police previously seized $150,000 in Istanbul's Pendik district on Jan. 5, allegedly to be paid to Masharipov for the Reina attack.
In his interrogation, Masharipov said that he was involved with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and served the organization as a propagandist. "I filmed videos and uploaded them onto YouTube. I got my weapons training in this organization," said the Daesh militant.
After some ideological clashes with the organization, Masharipov left the Uzbekistan-based radicals and traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan before reaching Iran, where he met Daesh. "I then illegally came to Turkey through Iran and settled in Konya with my wife and two children. I received the order for the attack from Raqqa [the self-proclaimed capital of Daesh]." He claimed that the so-called order was delivered to him through a voice recording sent from a smart phone application. "We planned a bomb attack, but we figured out that we could not succeed because of the security measures. The weapon was delivered to me by a friend in Zeytinburnu," Masharipov added.
He said he sent the videos and the photographs he took in Taksim — one of the most crowded places in Istanbul, especially during the holidays — to a high ranking Daesh member in Syria. "But, I could not carry out the attack in Taksim. So, I attacked Reina," he continued.
"I killed the people in Reina because they were infidels. I do not believe that Muslims celebrate New Year's Eve," said Masharipov.
Following the attack, the terrorist planned to escape from Turkey with his 4.5-year-old son, but he was not able to meet him. "I hid out in houses in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu, Sefaköy and Esenyurt districts. If I could have met up with my son, I would have fled Turkey though İzmir and Hatay. I arranged a religious marriage ceremony with one of the women I met in the hideout house in Esenyurt. I never considered taking my wife or my daughter with me. I only wanted to flee with my son," the Uzbek terrorist said.