Bio

Abdulkadir Masharipov was born on 2 August 1988 in Uzbekistan. He is an Uzbek national. He is also known by the name Abu Muhammed Horasani.

Reports say he trained as a militant in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is also believed to have trained with a group that later became known as ISIL. Sources say he entered Turkey through the Iranian border in January 2016.

While in Turkey, most reports place him living in the city of Konya for much of his time there. He arrived in Istanbul on 16 December 2016.

Turkish police identified him by name on 9 January 2017. He was arrested in Istanbul on 16–17 January 2017 at a friend's apartment in the Esenyurt district.

Murder Story

On 1 January 2017, a mass attack happened at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul. Thirty-nine people were killed and 79 were injured. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

Turkish police identified the suspect as Abdulkadir Masharipov on 9 January 2017. He was born in Uzbekistan and also used the name Abu Muhammed Horasani. He was arrested in Istanbul on 16 January 2017 at a friend's apartment. Firearms, ammunition, two drones and about $200,000 were found in the apartment.

The first hearing in Masharipov's trial, along with 51 accused accomplices, was held on 11 December 2017. The next hearing took place on 26 March 2018.

In September 2020, a Turkish court sentenced Masharipov to life imprisonment. The court also gave an additional 1,368 years in prison for killing 39 people and injuring 79 more. In his last testimony, he said his earlier statements were made under "torture and pressure" and asked to be exonerated. He said the evidence was inadequate and it was expected he would appeal.

In the days after the attack, Turkish authorities detained many people during sweeps in Istanbul and other cities. People arrested included Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Uzbeks. Some suspects were detained in İzmir, Selimpaşa, and Zeytinburnu. Weapons were found with some İzmir suspects. Another suspect linked to the attack was detained in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 10 December 2021.

Among the victims were people from 14 countries. The dead included citizens of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Germany, India, Kuwait, Libya, Israel, Tunisia, Canada, Syria, Russia, and others. Bollywood film producer Abis Rizvi was among those killed.

Istanbul's governor described the incident as a terrorist attack. The Turkish president and many other world leaders condemned the attack and offered condolences. The US embassy denied social media claims that it had prior intelligence of the event. Some conspiracy theories were also put forward by various groups and media.