Free Republic

An Islamist gunman, who has confessed to the killing of 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day, told a court that he had aimed to kill Christians during his attack, Hurriyet newspaper said on Monday, citing testimony given this weekend. Abdulgadir Masharipov initially planned to attack the area around Taksim Square but switched to the upscale Reina nightclub due to the heightened security measures around the square, Hurriyet said, without saying how it had obtained the document. "I did not take part in any acts before the Reina event. I thought of carrying out an act against...

Abdulgadir Masharipov walked into a nightclub in Istanbul on New Years Eve and began randomly shooting people, killing 39 and injuring countless more. In court, he confessed that he did it because he hated Christians and wanted to kill them on ‘their holiday’: An Islamist gunman, who has confessed to the killing of 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year’s Day, told a court that he had aimed to kill Christians during his attack, Hurriyet newspaper said on Monday, citing testimony given this weekend.