CTVI just had a feeling.....When no one is paying attention-
ISTANBUL -- Turkey's state-run news agency says an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, wounding several people.The Anadolu Agency said the attack occurred in Istanbul's Ortakoy district.Footage from the scene showed at least six ambulances with flashing lights and civilians being escorted out. Media reports said police have cordoned off the area and an operation is ongoing.
Gunmen have attacked a famous nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's Eve celebrations, reportedly injuring dozens of people, local media reported.Two attackers were reportedly dressed in Santa costumes, (coca cola Santa?) according to CNN Turk, when they opened fire on the Reina club in the Ortakoy area of the city.Around 20-30 people may have been wounded in the attack, NTV reported.One attacker was still inside the club and police special forces were preparing an operation to enter the building, broadcaster CNN Turk said.
TV footage showed armoured police vehicles surrounding the nightspot as ambulances rushed to the scene.
There were reportedly several hundred people in the club, which is among the city's glitziest nightspots.
Turkey has been the target of a number of recent attacks by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) and Kurdish extremist groups.
At the stroke of midnight? Will there be more?UPDATE and this is interesting... I'll highlight:Daily Sabah- 35 dead at Istanbul Nightclub
An assailant dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 35 people and wounding several others, Istanbul governor Vasip Şahin said early Sunday.A police officer was among the killed in the attack targeting the popular Reina nightclub in Istanbul's Ortaköy district. More than one assailant may have been involved in the attack, sources said. Over 500 people were inside the club at the time.The attacker opened fire at the police outside the nightclub before entering and firing on people inside. Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, sources added. Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, some 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors.Ankara and Istanbul have been targeted by several attacks in 2016 carried out by the Daesh terrorists or PKK militants, killing more than 180 people.
Two Santa Shooters? One shooter? Cops in Christmas Santa camo?Insiders?- Reminiscent of the Russian Ambassador Shooting?Or outsiders wanting the crowd to believe they were safe with law enforcement so they could maximize damage?Gulenists?PKK?An attack on the mid to upper classes. Designed to turn them against the government?An attack on Europe?
The attack took place at the swanky Reina nightclub on the European side of the city. There were reportedly as many as 700 people dancing to celebrate the New Year, which chimed in barely an hour before the attack.Situated in the Ortakoy district of Istanbul, the club is known as one of the most elite nightspots in the city and it is notoriously hard to get past the bouncers, who seek out only the best dressed.Television pictures showed shellshocked revellers dressed up to the nines -- men in suits and women in cocktail dresses -- emerging dazed from the scene.The attack sparked mass panic, with some diving into the Bosphorus Strait between Europe and Asia to escape the bullets. Rescuers were battling to salvage them to safety.
At least one gunman reportedly dressed as Santa burst into the nightclub, spraying bullets at random.According to some witnesses cited by the Dogan news agency, the attackers were "speaking Arabic".