Daesh man who ordered attack on nightclub faces multiple life terms
Twenty-four Daesh suspects accused of planning the deadly New Year's attack on an Istanbul nightclub and helping the assailant were referred to courts in two cities yesterday as prosecutors asked for their arrest. Among them is a man who instructed the gunman to carry out the attack on Reina, a popular venue on Istanbul's Bosporus shore where 39 people were gunned down. Abdulgadir Masharipov, an Uzbek-born Daesh militant, was captured by police in Istanbul's Esenyurt district on Jan. 16 after an intense manhunt. The attack was the latest by Daesh, which previously turned to suicide bombers to carry out a string of attacks in Turkey last year and in 2015.
Ilyas Masharipov, who shared an apartment with Masharipov for 20 days before the attack, is accused by Turkish prosecutors of being the man who gave the order to carry out the attack. Prosecutors asked for 39 instances of aggravated lifetime imprisonment for him on charges of aiding and abetting the murder. He is among 14 suspects, mostly foreigners, who were brought before a court in Istanbul where judges will decide on their arrest. If the court accepts this, they will be arrested on charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order and membership of a terrorist organization, two serious crimes that carry life sentences.
Prosecutors say Masharipov was "a deputy" of a Daesh "emir" known as Hodja Aka, who is based in Raqqa, a Syrian town largely controlled by the organization. An encrypted voice recording ordering the attack was discovered on a tablet computer found in his residence in Istanbul's Başakşehir. Masharipov was captured with three others in an apartment in which he was hiding after the attack. Other suspects referred to the court in Istanbul include Maraba Aduloeva, who urged the wife and children of Masharipov to leave the flat they shared after the attack. Other suspects are accused of providing accommodation to Masharipov following the attack on Reina nightclub and helping him to get around Istanbul prior to the attack. The suspects, like Masharipov, were being held in a tightly guarded detention facility at Istanbul's police headquarters.
Turkish media outlets reported that Masharipov, known by his code name "Yusuf Hodja" in Daesh, was first arrested on July 29, 2016. However, he was released afterwards. It is claimed that he was taken into custody as part of a series of operations organized by the Istanbul police following the Daesh attack at Atatürk Airport on June 28 last year, which resulted in the death of 45 people. Following his release pending trial, Ilyas Masharipov, who is said to be the head of an Uzbek cell of Daesh, traveled to Konya and gave Abdulgadir Masharipov the weapon used in the attack in Reina and traveled with him to Istanbul.
In the western city of İzmir, 10 foreigners with links to Daesh who were detained in connection to Masharipov were referred to court yesterday for their arrest. Suspects were captured in operations on Jan. 4 and Turkish media outlets have reported that they were staying with Masharipov in the central city of Konya and later moved to İzmir. Eleven female suspects have already been arrested on Jan. 26 in İzmir for their links to Daesh and Masharipov.
Abdulgadir Masharipov is still being questioned by police at the police headquarters in Istanbul. Last week, another high-ranking militant identified as Yasser Mohammed Salem Radown, a "qadi" (judge) for Daesh, was arrested in Istanbul.
Ilyas Masharipov, who shared an apartment with Masharipov for 20 days before the attack, is accused by Turkish prosecutors of being the man who gave the order to carry out the attack. Prosecutors asked for 39 instances of aggravated lifetime imprisonment for him on charges of aiding and abetting the murder. He is among 14 suspects, mostly foreigners, who were brought before a court in Istanbul where judges will decide on their arrest. If the court accepts this, they will be arrested on charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order and membership of a terrorist organization, two serious crimes that carry life sentences.
Prosecutors say Masharipov was "a deputy" of a Daesh "emir" known as Hodja Aka, who is based in Raqqa, a Syrian town largely controlled by the organization. An encrypted voice recording ordering the attack was discovered on a tablet computer found in his residence in Istanbul's Başakşehir. Masharipov was captured with three others in an apartment in which he was hiding after the attack. Other suspects referred to the court in Istanbul include Maraba Aduloeva, who urged the wife and children of Masharipov to leave the flat they shared after the attack. Other suspects are accused of providing accommodation to Masharipov following the attack on Reina nightclub and helping him to get around Istanbul prior to the attack. The suspects, like Masharipov, were being held in a tightly guarded detention facility at Istanbul's police headquarters.
Turkish media outlets reported that Masharipov, known by his code name "Yusuf Hodja" in Daesh, was first arrested on July 29, 2016. However, he was released afterwards. It is claimed that he was taken into custody as part of a series of operations organized by the Istanbul police following the Daesh attack at Atatürk Airport on June 28 last year, which resulted in the death of 45 people. Following his release pending trial, Ilyas Masharipov, who is said to be the head of an Uzbek cell of Daesh, traveled to Konya and gave Abdulgadir Masharipov the weapon used in the attack in Reina and traveled with him to Istanbul.
In the western city of İzmir, 10 foreigners with links to Daesh who were detained in connection to Masharipov were referred to court yesterday for their arrest. Suspects were captured in operations on Jan. 4 and Turkish media outlets have reported that they were staying with Masharipov in the central city of Konya and later moved to İzmir. Eleven female suspects have already been arrested on Jan. 26 in İzmir for their links to Daesh and Masharipov.
Abdulgadir Masharipov is still being questioned by police at the police headquarters in Istanbul. Last week, another high-ranking militant identified as Yasser Mohammed Salem Radown, a "qadi" (judge) for Daesh, was arrested in Istanbul.