'It Wasn't Me' Says Istanbul Nightclub Shooting Suspect Arrested Over ISIS Massacre Of 39 New Year's Revellers

A man arrested over the Istanbul terror attacks in which 39 people were killed has claimed he is not the person responsible.

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. Video Loading Video Unavailable The video will start in 8Cancel Play now

Video will play in  Istanbul gunman suspect smirks in sinister selfie videoImages released subsequently of Mr Mashrapov bear little obvious resemblance to the man in the photo released by police of the man they were looking for.

“Law enforcement officials removed me from the plane. They interrogated me for hours,” said Mr Mashrapov. “They explained that I was being questioned in connection with the terrorist attack on New Year’s Day, and that I looked a bit like the suspect in the photo. Then they apologised and put me on a plane.”

The Turkish authorities reportedly earlier claimed Mashrapov fought in Syria for ISIS and was "specially selected" to carry out the nightclub rampage as the victims welcomed 2017.

He reportedly moved to Turkey from Kyrgyzstan with his wife and two kids on November 20 and spent some time in Konya province before returning to Istanbul just days prior to the terror attack.

Police have arrested 14 people, including the suspect's wife, after they reportedly traced a phone call he made from a taxi driver's mobile on the way to the popular Reina nightclub.

Abdulkadir Selvi, a columnist for the Hurriyet newspaper, claimed the attacker had been trained in street fighting in residential areas in Syria and used those techniques in the attack as he shot from the hip like he was in a "street war".

Selvi wrote that the gunman was "specially selected" for the shooting and his "hit rate" was high, with just 28 bullets failing to hit a target.

Reports claimed he fled Turkey following the shooting, and a photo of his passport picture has been circulated online.

Two foreign nationals with alleged links to the attack were arrested at Istanbul's Ataturk airport on Tuesday, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

It said the suspects were arrested at the international flights terminal.

Earlier a video selfie released by authorities showed the suspect smirking on camera before the massacre.

The suspect stared into the lens as he filmed himself in the popular meeting area Taksim Square. Video Loading Video Unavailable The video will start in 8Cancel Play now

Video will play in  People gather to create a makeshift memorial at Reina The man was pictured wearing a black hooded jacket as he filmed himself.

The footage was released the day after ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack at Reina, when a man with an AK-47 fired at least 180 bullets at the crowd.

The terror group claimed the suspect used hand grenades in addition to a high-powered firearm. Video Loading Video Unavailable The video will start in 8Cancel Play now

Video will play in  New CCTV footage of Istanbul gunman showing documents His wife was among at least 14 people arrested during raids in Istanbul and Konya.

Turkish media outlet TRT World reported that she claimed she had never witnessed her husband showing sympathy to ISIS or its causes.

She said he arrived in Istanbul on November 20 and drove to Konya two days later to "look for work", and returned to Istanbul on December 29.

CCTV footage believed to show the gunman handing over identification documents at a bureau has also been revealed. Video Loading Video Unavailable The video will start in 8Cancel Play now

Video will play in  Reveller films moments before Istanbul NYE nightclub shooting The suspect, dressed in a black jacket with a red hood over a black top, is shown handing over documents before entering the country at an unidentified date and location.

According to specialists who examined CCTV footage of the IS militant rampaging into the nightclub, he looks professionally trained on how to use the weapon and could have injured his foot.

Anti-terror expert Abdullah Ağar said: “The attacker is determined, faithful, practical, coldblooded, expert and knows how to get results.

“He probably fired these bullets before in real clash zones. He had no hesitation in shooting at innocent people. He is absolutely a killer and he most probably shot at humans before.”