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Graphic Videos Capture Chilling Moment When Gunman Opens Fire At Istanbul Nightclub

Dozens of victims at popular hot spot were foreigners; shooter is still at large.
Women who survived an attack by a gunman, react outisde the Reina nightclub by the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
HUSEYIN ALDEMIR / Reuters
Women who survived an attack by a gunman, react outisde the Reina nightclub by the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Surveillance cameras captured the moment when a gunman raced into a nightclub in downtown Istanbul on Sunday and opened fire on patrons.

The attack at the Reina nightclub just an hour into the new year claimed the lives of at least 39 people and injured nearly 70 others. The shooter was still at large late Sunday.

One video posted by the Ankara Times shows people crouching for cover near the front door as they hear the first shots, and a dog running for an exit. The gunman, armed with an assault-style rifle, enters the frame shooting. The footage stops just after he takes aim at a man nearby and a flash erupts from his gun.

Warning: The videos below contain graphic images that may be disturbing to some readers.

An earlier video posted by Haberdar shows the shooter running toward the club as he fires on the street outside.

Another video appears to show the gunman surveying the scene of his carnage inside the club. A screen grab captures him removing his jacket.

The Reina, located on the banks of the Bosporus and open since 2002, has long been a hot spot for an affluent clientele, including soccer, soap opera and music celebrities. It was packed with some 600 people on New Year’s Eve when the lone gunman attacked.

At least 27 of those killed were foreigners, according to the Anadolu state news agency. Victims included citizens from Canada, Belgium, France, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Kuwait and Syria.

One American, a business owner from Delaware, was injured, NBC reported. William Jacob Raak, 35, was hit in the leg when a bullet apparently glanced off his cell phone in his hip pocket, which may have saved him from more serious injury, his brother told NBC10. Four of the injured were in critical condition Sunday.

By Sunday evening, no one had yet claimed responsibility for the shooting.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters that the authorities did not yet have solid evidence on who was behind the attack. “Some details have started emerging, but the authorities are working towards a concrete result,” he said, The New York Times reported.

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