Isis Istanbul nightclub attack suspect Abdulgadir Masharipov captured by Turkish security forces

Abdulgadir Masharipov, who is believed to have killed 39 people in the attack on the Reina nightclub in Istanbul on New Year's Eve, was arrested by police on Monday 16 January, according to Dogan News Agency.

The agency published what it claimed was the first image of the attacker, which showed a bruised, black-haired man in a grey, bloodied shirt, surrounded by police and being held by the neck. The alleged gunman is said to have resisted arrest, according to NTV television.

The alleged Islamic terrorist was cornered at his Kyrgyz friend's house in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul. According to Hurriyet Daily News, Masharipov was found with his four-year-old son. Masharipov is now being transferred to Istanbul Police Headquarters.

The shooting at Reina nightclub was carried out professionally with the involvement of an intelligence organisation, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said on 16 January.

Police reportedly focused on a house in Silivri which was used by Masharipov, an Uzbek Islamic State Iraq and Levant (ISIL) militant, according to Hurriyet. Authorities raided the address on 15 January and found $150,000 dollars which they say was to be given to Masharipov. However, he was allegedly unable to access the money because of the search for him.

A manhunt was launched for the attacker on 1 January, with multiple raids on properties across the country. Masharipov's wife and family members were also detained after the attack.

His wife claimed to have no knowledge of the attack. "I learned about the attack from TV. I didn't know that my husband was a Daesh terrorist, let alone a sympathiser," media reports had quoted her as saying.

It is alleged that after staging the attack on the nightclub, Masharipov went to a house in Zeytinburnu. "We said goodbye to each other and he left the house," his wife told anti-terror police during her interrogation.

The attack was claimed by Islamic State, which views Turkey as an ally of Syria in its fight with the Islamist extremists. They stated that the attack was in revenge for Turkish military operations in northern Syria.