The deadly New Year’s attack on a ritzy Istanbul nightclub has brought more turmoil to Turkey and shown how the conflict in neighbouring Syria easily can spill over to threaten Europe’s stability.
The mass shootings’ bleak coda came into sharp relief Monday- IS-claimed soldier who gunned down revealers with a high-powered rifle at the jam-packed Reina nightclub as one of their own as police tried to find the fugitive, who is believed to have escaped in the mayhem he caused.
The assault that happened in the second hour of 2017 bookended another holiday season terror in Europe, the December 19 attack at a Christmas market in Berlin. Both IS-linked assaults were carried out with the simple, low-tech approach that seems to be gaining favour with extremists.
This is the reality facing Europe as the IS loses territory in Syria and Iraq, but maintains followers, returning fighters and sleeper cells in the West eager to launch attacks.
Attacker fought for IS in Syria
The gunman had fought in Syria for IS terrorist, a report said on Tuesday, as Turkish authorities intensified their hunt for the attacker.
Police released pictures of the suspect who went on the rampage at the plush Reina nightclub on New Year’s night, spraying some 120 bullets at terrified guests before slipping away into the night. Of the 39 dead, 27 were foreigners, mainly from Arab countries, with coffins repatriated overnight to countries including Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.How can Europe prevent more attacks?
Shifting extremist tactics have created new challenges for security agencies. Police and intelligence agencies say that “soft” public targets like nightclubs and sporting events are virtually impossible to comprehensively defend; there are too many of them.
Extra layers of security, and some impregnable physical barriers, were added at some European landmarks for New Year’s Eve celebrations to prevent a repeat of the Berlin attack, but it would not be possible to protect every popular club in every city and town.
The potential targets are plentiful and symbolic: In Berlin, a Christmas market long part of the city’s festive tradition, in Istanbul, a New Year’s party that represents Turkey’s partial embrace of Western-style revelry.
