Istanbul nightclub shooting

In the early hours of 1 January 2017, at approximately 01:15 local time, a gunman attacked the Reina nightclub in the Ortaköy neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, where hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate the New Year. According to Wikipedia's account of the incident, the attacker killed a police officer and a bystander at the entrance before entering the club and opening fire on the crowd inside. He reportedly carried an AKM rifle, fired more than 180 rounds over roughly seven minutes, and used stun grenades to assist in reloading. Witnesses said he spoke Arabic and shouted "Allāhu akbar" during the attack. He was allegedly dressed as Santa Claus. In total, 39 people were killed, including the police officer on duty, and at least 79 others were injured. A morgue examination found that most fatal victims were shot at close range or in the head. Some attendees jumped into the Bosphorus strait to escape.

The attack occurred against a backdrop of heightened tension involving the Islamic State (ISIL), which had suffered territorial losses in Syria and Iraq during 2016, and following earlier attacks in Istanbul, including the June 2016 Atatürk Airport attack and the December 2016 Vodafone Arena bombing. Istanbul's governor, Vasip Şahin, described the nightclub attack as a terrorist act, and the Turkish government imposed a temporary media blackout. In response, the Turkish military carried out strikes against ISIL targets in the Syrian town of al-Bab.

In the days following the attack, Turkish police detained dozens of people in connection with the investigation, including Uyghur restaurant workers in Zeytinburnu and individuals in İzmir's Bornova and Buca districts, some found with weapons. On 9 January 2017, police identified the suspected gunman as Abdulkadir Masharipov, an Uzbek national born 2 August 1988, who also used the name Abu Muhammed Horasani. He was arrested on 16 January 2017 at an apartment in Istanbul's Esenyurt district, where firearms, ammunition, two drones, and approximately $200,000 were recovered. Masharipov is believed to have trained as a militant in Afghanistan and Pakistan and to have entered Turkey illegally via Iran in January 2016. He reportedly told police he had originally planned to attack Taksim Square but abandoned that plan due to heavy security, choosing the Reina nightclub instead.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. A trial of Masharipov and 51 co-accused began with a first hearing on 11 December 2017, with a subsequent hearing held on 26 March 2018. In September 2020, a Turkish court sentenced Masharipov to life imprisonment plus an additional 1,368 years for the 39 killings and 79 injuries. In his final testimony, he requested exoneration, stating his original statements had been made under torture and pressure. In December 2021, another suspect linked to the attack was detained in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Victims of the attack came from 14 countries.