Gunmen open fire at Istanbul restaurant – just days after New Year’s Eve nightclub massacre

Several people are understood to have been injured in a potential suspected terror attack in Istanbul, just days after the Reina nightclub massacre in the same Turkish city. Two gunmen have opened fire in a restaurant in the Fetih area of Istanbul, which is where the police headquarters and governor’s office are situated.

Initial reports suggest three people have been injured. Currently, there is conflicting information about whether the shooting is related to terrorism, or a personal conflict of some sort. A heavy police presence can be seen outside the restaurant, as well as shell casings lying on the ground.

Witnesses spoke of their terror as shots started to ring out, given that the attack came just five days after a terrorist attacked Istanbul’s upmarket Reina nightclub as partygoers were celebrating the New Year.

ISIS soldier

ISIS has described the man who carried out the massacre as one of its soldiers, claiming responsibility for the gun attack in which 39 people were killed and many more injured. Terrified clubbers were described as climbing over each other, or jumping into the nearby river in a bid to escape with their lives.

Turkey remains on a high alert following the atrocity on New Year’s Eve in the plush Ortakoy district, meaning officials believe there is a strong possibility of a terror attack. The gunman in the Reina nightclub shooting remains at large and a massive manhunt is still under way, although officials have made a number of arrests in connection with the terror attack.

While it has not yet been made public, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says that officials are aware of the main suspect’s identify. So far, around 30 people have been detained by police for questioning. It is understood that the suspect, believed to be from Central Asia, came to Turkey from Syria, along with his family.