Turkish Police Arrest Suspect Believed to Have Killed 39 in New Year’s Eve Nightclub Attack

The man believed to have carried out the New Year's attack on a nightclub in Istanbul was captured by Turkish police early on Tuesday morning and confessed to carrying out the terror attack in the name of Islamic State group (also known as IS). The massacre at the Reina nightclub left 39 people dead. Here's what we know:

• Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin told reporters early on Tuesday that the suspect, named as Abdulkadir Masharipov, is a native of Uzbekistan. Sahin claimed that Masharipov has confessed to the attack, and added that fingerprints at the scene matched those taken from the suspect.

• Masharipov was captured in an apartment located in the Esenyurt districtof Istanbul, just 25 miles from where the attack happened three weeks ago. Four other people were arrested alongside the main suspect — a man and three women. According to Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, Masharipov's four-year-old son was with him at the time and has been taken into protective custody.

• Turkish police had identified the suspect's location four or five days ago, but delayed the arrest to monitor his movements and contacts, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV. State-run Anadolu Agency said the police were conducting raids of other suspected IS safe houses.

• Sahin said that Masharipov had trained in Afghanistan and spoke four languages. He is thought to have entered Turkey in Jan. 2016. The governor also revealed that during the raid, police confiscated two drones, sim cards, weapon cartridges and $197,000 in cash.

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