Who were the Istanbul nightclub attack victims?

A police officer, journalist, security guard and married couple were among the 39 people who lost their lives after a gunman opened fire at the elite Reina nightclub in Istanbul.
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The New Arab Staff

The New Arab

02 Jan, 2017
A police officer, security guard, journalist and married couple were among the dead [Getty]
A night to finally usher in a new year after a turbulent and testing 2016 ended in tragedy in Istanbul when a gunman opened fire on party-goers at the Turkish city's elite Reina nightclub.

Thirty-nine people were killed, including 27 foreigners and 11 Turkish nationals with one body still unidentified. This is what we know of the victims so far:

Turkey

Three victims have been named so far.

Fatih Cakmak, a security officer who had previsouly survived the bomb attack on the Besiktas stadium on December 10.

Nightclub security guard Hatice Karcilar, 29, was among those killed. She is survived by her husband and a three-year-old daughter, state-run news agency Andalou said.

Police officer Burak Yildiz, 21, was gunned down outside the nightclub. Reportedly only in the job for 12 months, Burak was one of the first to die when he was shot outside in the street.

Lebanon

Journalist Elias Wardini was among the first to have been confirmed dead in the attack. A photo he posted on his Instagram page with Rita Chami, who was also killed, has been shared on social media in tribute.

Fellow Lebanese national Haykal Mousallem was also killed. He was with his wife to ring in the new year.

The Lebanese foreign ministry said another four were wounded. 

"I was saved by my passport which I was carrying right near my heart," one of the injured, Francois al-Asmar, told Lebanese television from his hospital bed.

Tunisia

The Tunisian foreign ministry said on its Facebook page that one Tunisian and one Franco-Tunisian had died. Tunisia's ambassador to France named the victims as husband and wife Mohamed Azzabi and Senda Nakaa who leave behind a five-month-old daughter. 

Israel

Young Palestinian woman, 18-year-old Lian Nasser, from the town of Tira in central Israel, was on a week-long vacation in Turkey along with three other women from the neighbourhood, relatives told Ma'an News Agency.

India

Abis Rizvi, the son of a former MP, and a woman, Khushi Shah were among the dead, India's external affairs minister announced.

Jordan

The foreign ministry in Amman said three Jordanians were killed and four injured, the official Petra news agency reported.

Among those killed was Nawras Assaf, a father of three who owned a lounge and bar in Jordan.

Iraq

A spokeman for Iraq's foreign ministry said that three Iraqis died in the attack.

Morocco

Foreign ministry confirmed that two Moroccans were killed and four hospitalised. 

Belgium

Belgium's foreign ministry confirmed that a man in his 20s, a Belgian-Turkish dual national, was killed.

Libya

One Libyan was killed and three others hurt in the attack, according to Libya's foreign ministry.

Canada

A Canadian woman was also among the victims, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed.

"It is with deep sadness that I learned of the deadly terrorist attack on a nightclub in Istanbul that killed and injured innocent people celebrating the New Year and claimed the life of a Canadian citizen," Trudeau said in a statement.

"We also grieve the senseless loss of a Canadian citizen and remain steadfast in our determination to work with allies and partners to fight terrorism and hold perpetrators to account."

Saudi Arabia

Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul said that Saudis were among the victims, but gave no figures. The Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper however quoted a consulate source as saying that five Saudis including two women had died and 11 other people were injured. Al-Arabiya television also spoke of five dead and nine wounded.

Kuwait and Russia each lost one citizen in the attack, reported Turkish news agency Anadolu.

 
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