The Reina murder terrorist’s statement has come to light: Cumhuriyet newspaper was the first target

According to a report by Devrim Tosun of Akşam, the Reina murderer of Uzbek origin, Abdulkadir Masharipov, has told the police in full detail about the run-up to and the moment of the attack. Masharipov, explaining that they planned to attack Taksim Square and Cumhuriyet Newspaper, described how he implemented the instruction that he received on Telegram. The murderer, who has said that an ISIL terrorist in Syria had told him, ‘There is a newspaper in Şişli that insults our holy prophet. Go there,’ but a militant named Abu Jihad later said, ‘There will be nobody there at this late hour – there is a discotheque named Reina and kafirs are having fun there. You can take action,’ said the following in an interrogation that was conducted in a systematic manner by a special team.

I came to Turkey illicitly with my family in January 2016. I stayed in Zeytinburnu for four months. Then I rented a home in Kayaşehir and moved there with my family. I received an order from my ISIL commander in Syria in November 2016 to go to Konya. I returned to Kayaşehir after having stayed in Konya for one month. My ISIL commander in Syria asked on Telegram, ‘Is there anybody in your midst to perform a suicide bombing?’ When I said, ‘I’m not sure about that. I’ll ask,’ he said, ‘Can you do it?’ After the instruction to act I performed istikhara (sleep in the hope that God will send a dream indicating the correct course of action) and I dreamt about raking a place with gunfire and fleeing. I then told Abu Umar from ISIL who was in Syria about the dream. With him telling me, ‘In the name of God, do it,’ I went into action.

INSTRUCTION IN A SOUND RECORDING

On the evening of 26 December a person unknown to me said on Telegram, ‘Are you the one who is agreeing to take action?’ When I said, ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘Then go down and come to the bus stop.’ I went to the bus stop straight away. A person of Caucasian origin who could speak Russian approached me. He gave me a USB and 700 Turkish lira in cash. He said, ‘Get yourself fixed up with a new home.’ When I got home and opened the USB, there was a sound recording in Russian about the act. Later, the person named Abu Jihad with whom I was acquainted sent a message on Telegram saying that the voice on the USB was his.

- I dreamt that I was raking a place with gunfire when I performed istikhara.

- I gave up on taking action in Taksim because I thought it would fail.

- I did not attack Cumhuriyet because there would be nobody inside.

CUMHURİYET WAS THE FIRST TARGET

Masharipov said that he first received the order to take action against Cumhuriyet Newspaper, but they abandoned this plan thinking there would be nobody inside.

The ISIL murderer also said in his statement that they planned to attack Cumhuriyet Newspaper but later abandoned this: I indicated on Telegram to my ISIL friend in Syria that taking action in Taksim would not be good. And he said to me, ‘There is a newspaper in Şişli that insults our holy prophet. Go there.’ Then, with Abu Jihad sending another message and saying, ‘There will be nobody there at this late hour – there is a discotheque named Reina and kafirs are having fun there. You can take action,’ I went back to Zeytinburnu. I got into a taxi and went unarmed to Reina to conduct reconnaissance. I took a look from the outside but I didn’t go in. I asked Abu Jihad for images of the inside. He sent the image of a dancing prostitute. I got into another taxi and returned to Zeytinburnu. I asked the taxi driver, ‘Do Turks celebrate New Year?’ And the taxi driver said, ‘Turks do not celebrate New Year.’

I SMASHED MY PHONE AND THREW IT AWAY

I got a backpack and a briefcase from a person of Uzbek origin in Zeytinburnu. I put the gun in the briefcase. Putting the grenades in my pocket, I set out. I got into a taxi and went to Reina. While walking towards Reina, I smashed my mobile phone and threw it away. When I reached the door there was a policeman at the entrance. When he opened fire on me I also shot at him.

I THOUGHT I HAD DIED

I shot the policeman to get inside. When I got in, I fired without taking aim until all the magazines were empty. I threw the two hand grenades at the revellers. I cannot remember why I took my jacket off – it may have been because of my psychological state at the time. I took the last grenade from my pocket and pulled out the pin when I passed it into my left hand.

THE GRENADE WENT OFF IN MY HAND

The flashbang went off in my hand and my left hand was injured. My beard, hair and part of my moustache were burnt. I thought I had died. When a while later I realised that nothing had happened, my memory came back to me. I crawled for a while and then got on my feet and got outside.’

WEAPONS CAME AT MIDNIGHT

On 27 December I went to Taksim square in the company of another person for reconnaissance. I took footage of the area with a camera. After the reconnaissance, I went to the flat I had rented in Başakşehir. I also took my wife and children to this flat. On 28 December I spent the full day at home reciting litanies. I shut myself off from events in the outside world. I devoted myself fully to worship. A message arriving on Telegram on 29 December reading, ‘If somebody comes to the door, open it.’ At night, somebody of Caucasian origin who could speak Russian of 1.80 metres in height who was wearing a cap and was dressed in dark colours came. He was carrying a bag and came in. In the bag he was carrying was an AK-47 machine gun and six full magazines for this gun and three cylindrical, dark-coloured grenades.

IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN BLOW YOURSELF UP!

The person asked me what I thought about Taksim. And I said that if foreigners celebrate New Year I would gun them down. The person who came said I could blow myself up if I wanted. He took my mobile phone, gave me a new phone and went. I went home and told my wife that I was going to take action and die.

I said, ‘Some people will come to take you to Syria.’ After I said these things, my wife made her feelings known by weeping furiously. On 31 December, I went to Taksim another time. I thought I wouldn’t be able to come here with a gun because it was going to rain heavily, and Taksim wouldn’t be crowded enough because it there was going to be rain on New Year’s Eve.

THE TERRORIST’S WIFE SPOKE ON SEEING HIS EGYPTIAN LOVER

Hürriyet journalist and writer, Abdulkadir Selvi, has provided fresh information about the Reina murderer in his article of 30 January. Selvi, indicating that the terrorist had previously come up with an escape plan but had been unable to escape because ISIL did not give up his son, commented, ‘Coming to the woman about whom he later said, “I wed her in a non-civil marriage,” this was his Egyptian lover who had been with him from the outset, Tene Trare. When the terrorist’s wife realised that her husband was going to flee to Syria along with his Egyptian lover and son, and abandon her, she started to speak. This means that, even if you are a terrorist, you play with a woman’s feelings at your peril.’