Shawn Helton
21st Century Wire
In the past 24 hours, a string of new developments are potentially reshaping the Reina Nightclub Shooting incident on New Year’s Eve in Istanbul. Perhaps most shockingly, following a US intelligence warning, Reina nightclub’s security had been taken over ten days prior to the apparent terror tragedy. If that’s not enough – there’s also been a peculiar case of mistaken identity.
Let’s review some of the latest details in the Turkish nightclub shooting…
‘NIGHTCLUB NIGHTMARE’ – Turkish authorities seen above rapidly respond to the New Year’s Eve shooting at Reina nightclub.
According to reports, a strange ‘selfie’ image and video allegedly featuring a ‘prime suspect’ was released. However, the apparent shooter is still at-large following a case of “mistaken identity.” The UK’s Mirror reported the strange developments, as the person in the selfie shots did not match a person arrested by authorities at Istanbul’s airport over the past day:
“Twenty-eight year-old Iakhe Mashrapov, from Kyrgyzstan, said Turkish police arrested him but that he was released following a case of mistaken identity.
He made the claim during an interview with Kyrgyz TV after TRT, Turkey’s state broadcaster, named him as the chief suspect.
Mr Mashrapov claims he was taken into custody by the Turks when boarding a flight in Istanbul after mistaking him for the main suspect due to his apparent likeness.”
In addition, over a dozen individuals have been detained and questioned following the attack.
Here’s an image released by authorities and media that allegedly depicts 28 year-old Iakhe Mashrapov, from Kyrgyzstan, who was initially thought to be the selfie/nightclub attacker. Make note that Mashrapov appears to be much older in the picture presented by media below…
Political Shifts?
In 2016, after a wave of German terror-related incidents were blended with a seemingly engineered migrant crisis – a large amount of national political pressure was placed on CDP leader Angela Merkel following the highly suspicious Berlin Christmas market attack. This has set the tone for a major political upheaval prior to the upcoming electoral cycles in Germany. Similarly, Turkey has been embroiled in political controversy as its President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s pro-Islamist perspective has come under fire along with Turkey’s increased role in Syria. Here’s a passage from a report by 21WIRE contributor Vanessa Beeley in 2016, that accurately describes the scenario that has unfolded in Turkey over the past year:
“The regime has come under international scrutiny for permitting the free flow of jihadis and weapons to rebel groups fighting the government in Syria (the ‘jihad highway’), which resulted in the rise of the brutal insurgent group, Islamic State, which is fast spreading its tentacles worldwide. The anti-Shia strategy of promoting regime change in Syria and cornering its Iranian ally through (Sunni) Islamic terror backfired when America forced Turkey to take an active role in the US-led coalition against the ISIS. A series of deadly bombings followed on Turkish soil, all attributed to ISIS.”
How these alleged ‘terror’ events push major political shifts must be seriously considered when dissecting a possible modus operandi of this and other similar high-profile media ‘national security’ events.
THE REAL TURKISH SHOOTER? – A selfie image seen alongside apparent CCTV camera footage allegedly featuring the Reina nightclub attacker. (Image Source: cbc)
Turkey’s nightclub shooter remains at large even though authorities have reportedly visually identified their suspect, in addition to already obtaining fingerprints from the crime scene.
QUESTION: Was the mistaken identity story a ‘red herring’ given that authorities have already ID’d their man – most likely a known wolf operator?
If that isn’t enough to consider, Turkey’s Hurriyet news disclosed that “Reina’s owner, Mehmet Kocarslan, as saying security measures had been taken over the past 10 days after U.S. intelligence reports suggested a possible attack.”
You have to wonder why this aspect of the story has barely been mentioned and why US intelligence has seemingly clung tightly to this key information, especially considering it appears to show evidence of a heavily coordinated attack.
Additionally, who exactly was heading security at the club in the days prior to the Istanbul attack?
Here at 21WIRE we’ve already outlined the seemingly ready-made terror story that has been totally accepted wholesale by Western media outlets, including the possible mistaken identity red herring:
According to authorities, 39 people have been killed, with at least 69 wounded during the Reina nightclub.
The Telegraph reports the following:
“Armed with a long-barrelled weapon, the attacker shot a police officer before storming the elite Reina club in the Ortakoy area of the city at about 1.45am.
Describing the carnage as a “terror attack”, Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said 35 people had died and 40 people were wounded.”
“Unfortunately [the shooter] rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year’s and have fun,” Mr Sahin said.
There were believed to be more than 500 people in the club at the time. Many party-goers threw themselves into the Bosphorus in panic after the attack and efforts were underway to rescue them from the waters, NTV television said.”
ISIS ‘Takes Credit’
In the age of digital media and informational illusion, the potential for GLADIO-style manipulation through events like this has never been greater.
As is usually the routine, ‘ISIS’ eventually claimed “credit” for this unconventional attack, calling the still-at-large shooter a ‘hero of the caliphate.’ This was reported with blind faith by the paper of record the New York Times:
“The Islamic State issued a rare claim of responsibility on Monday for the New Year’s Day attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed at least 39 people, describing the gunman who carried out the assault — and who has not been identified or captured — as “a hero soldier of the caliphate.”
The attack was clearly designed to incite religious warfare, as the ‘ISIS’ statement (which could have been written by anyone) continues:
“A hero soldier of the caliphate attacked one of the most famous nightclubs, where Christians celebrated their pagan holiday,”
The NY Times continued relying on its ‘pro-terrorist’ limited hangout sources – with more ISIS propaganda designed to stir fears in the west:
“a pro-Islamic State group, the Nashir Media Foundation, published the latest in a series of messages calling for attacks on clubs, markets and movie theaters.”
Rather than a suicide bomb attack, or the shooter martyring himself in jihad glory, the Turkish nightclub attack was a carefully calculated mass murder which lacked the usual religious symbolism featured in every other attack – which further indicates that this may not have been a genuine religious terrorist attack as portrayed through mass media.
NOTE: Immediately after this ‘terrorist’ event, Turkey sent its military forces deeper into Syria, and with the full blessing of the US and NATO.
Early reports suggest that one suspected shooter may have been dressed as Santa Claus. However, Turkish PM Benali Yildirim, refutes this claim. The Daily Beast adds the following details:
“Initial reports cited witnesses who saw at least one shooter dressed as Santa Claus, although the CCTV and cell phone videos that have surfaced so far do not entirely corroborate those accounts:
One shows a man wearing dark clothes firing wildly in the street, with bullets ricocheting off of cars, as he moves toward the door of the club.
Another, allegedly taken inside the club, shows a man who may have been the Santa Claus in question dressed all in white: he is wearing a knit hat with a pom-pom on top, a white cloth (or perhaps a short fake beard) over his face, and is carrying a white sack that looks almost like a pillow case as he looks around the chaotic scene in the room.
Some witnesses said bombs or grenades were thrown in addition to carnage wrought by the gunfire.
Turkish Prime Minister Benali Yildirim said Sunday morning that the shooter was not wearing a Santa costume, but other reports suggested he may have changed his clothes at some point.”
The another NY Times article added the following. Including the generic ‘God is great’ declaration attached in the aftermath of most terror-related events:
“The gunman’s identity and motives remain unclear, but one witness said he had heard the man shout “God is great” in Arabic.”
Emre Eytan Can, 34, an investment banker from Istanbul, said he was a regular at Reina, although he was not there on New Year’s Eve.
“I guess it is a target because it’s full of high-class Turks and foreigners,” he said. “And it’s a place where people let their hair down and drink, which is not in line with Islam.”
An image capture on CCTV (seen on the left), shows a man supposedly entering the well-known Club Reina among debris and shattered glass in the background.
As often is the case in these events, eye-witness accounts have suggested the attack was committed by multiple shooters:
“The whereabouts of the attacker was still unknown and some reports suggested there were multiple attackers. Police special forces and explosives experts were searching the club, an NTV correspondent at the scene said.”
QUESTION: Will the Turkish nightclub attacker or attackers turn out to be yet another ‘known wolf’ scenario? Will 2017 also be the year of the known wolf terror?
UPDATE: CNN began promoting this bizarre selfie of the new prime suspect in this ‘terror’ event:
“Turkish state-run media say police provided this photo of the suspect in the Istanbul nightclub attack. CNN cannot confirm when or where the photo was taken.”
Strangely, authorities gave no real context as to the source of the new “shooter selfie” where the subject appears to be posing with a characterized menacing look in video shot with a selfie stick.
Turkish media have also released a selfie video of the purported selfie shooter…
Stay tuned for other potential plot changes in the case of Turkey’s Reina Nightclub shooting…
Editor’s Note: according to Al Arabiya a Saudi survivor of the attack witnessed seeing a purported third shooter…
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READ MORE ISTANBUL ATTACK NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Istanbul Files