According to the Daily Sabah newspaper, the police managed to identify the attacker on Saturday, and he is believed to be Abdulgadir Masharipov of Uzbek origin, also known as Abu Muhammed Horasan.
On Thursday, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said that the attacker probably belonged to a Turkic ethnic group called the Uyghurs.
At least 39 people were killed, including more than 20 foreigners, almost 70 were injured as a result of the attack on Istanbul's Reina nightclub. The attacker is said to have opened fire from a Kalashnikov assault rifle. The Islamic State terrorist group, outlawed in many countries, including Russia, has taken responsibility for the attack.
SPUTNIK/MNA