Turkey nabs two foreigners at airport over nightclub attack

Turkey nabs two foreigners at airport over nightclub attack
Turkish police have detained two foreign nationals in Istanbul airport for questioning over the New Year's Eve attack.
1 min read
03 January, 2017
The pair were detained on entering Ataturk International Airport [Getty]

Turkish authorities detained two foreign nationals at Istanbul's main airport on Tuesday over suspected links to the nightclub attack that killed 39 people.

The pair were detained on entering Ataturk International Airport and have been taken to Istanbul police headquarters for questioning.

The government said on Monday that eight people had been detained, but the number then increased to 14 after new detentions in the Anatolian city of Konya.

The main suspect, who remains at large, was staying in a rented flat in Konya before moving to Istanbul to carry out the attack, press reports said. He has not been named but is reportedly from Central Asia.

Media reports claimed the attacker had fought in Syria for Islamic State [IS] and used techniques he had learnt in the civil war. The Hurriyet daily said that the attacker showed signs of being well trained in the use of arms.