Gunman opens fire in Istanbul mosque

Gunman opens fire in Istanbul mosque
Turkey remains of high alert after a second shooting attack took place in Istanbul, when a man opened fire in a mosque hours after a nightclub massacre.
2 min read
01 January, 2017
Funerals have taken place for some of the victims of the nightclub shooting [AFP]


A gunman opened fire in an Istanbul mosque just hours after a deadly shooting at a nightclub in the same city, where 39 people were killed.

Two people were taken to hospital from the Hasan Pasha of Algiers mosque, which is situated in the north of the city.

According to eyewitnesses cited by the Dogan news agency, people were gathering for prayers at the mosque when then assailant began firing his rifle. Some reports say that the man shot at his father during an argument, injuring him and a bystander.

Police investigating the shooting say there are no grounds to suggest that there was a "political cause" for the attack.

The incident comes as Turkey remains on edge after a shooter, reportedly dressed in a Santa Claus hat, shot at revellers in the Reina nightclub in Istanbul's upscale Ortakoy district.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the nightclub attack, however there are strong suspicions that it may have been committed by the Islamic State group.

In the past year, Turkey has witnessed attacks by IS and Kurdish groups, on airports, at public gatherings, against security forces and other places.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to continue fighting terror in the aftermath of the attack.

"As a nation, we will fight to the end against not just the armed attacks of terror groups and the forces behind them, but also against their economic, political and social attacks," he said in a statement.