ISIS fanatics have claimed responsibility for the Istanbul nightclub atrocity as an international manhunt continues for the gunman who murdered 39 revellers.

Photos from inside Istanbul's packed Reina club show partygoers celebrating moments before he stormed the venue.

The assassin calmly stepped out of a taxi outside the club before removing an AK-47 from his bag. CCTV footage then shows the man firing indiscriminately as he went on the five-and-a-half minute rampage.

Shocking new details of the attack, which also left 70 injured, emerged as the first funerals of victims were held last night.

ISIS this morning released a statement claiming it had carried out the attack.

Photos from inside Istanbul's packed Reina club show partygoers celebrating moments before the gunman stormed the venue with an AK-47

Sparks are seen flying down the street as the Istanbul nightclub shooter walks towards the Reina nightclub

People standing outside the club can be seen diving for cover as the gunman approaches, firing indiscriminately

After shooting a victim to the left of the screen, the gunman then runs into the nightclub

Club bouncer and mother-of-one Hatice Koc'un was among the 39 people who were gunned down in Istanbul. Turkish law requires a female guard be present to search women clubbers

Crying relatives gather around the coffin of one of the victims of the Turkish nightclub massacre ahead of the funeral

The gunman, believed to be captured by CCTV left and right, rained down 'a hail of bullets' on the New Year revellers and is still on the run

Footage filmed at the entrance of the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortaköy district, shows the man shooting indiscriminately as he rained down 'a hail of bullets' on the clubbers.

Grainy CCTV images released by Turkish police shows the suspect who fled the club after the massacre.

The footage emerged as the first victims of the massacre were named, including a female security guard and an Israeli Arab tourist.

The gunman is seen casually strolling into the nightclub holding the weapon before carrying out the killing spree while reportedly shouting 'Allahu Akbar'.

He later escaped in the chaos that ensued, forcing Turkish police to launch a major manhunt.

Fifteen of the dead are believed to be foreign nationals, including one Israeli woman and people from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya. Others include a Turkish-Belgian dual citizen and a Franco-Tunisian woman.

The 27-year-old was working at the Reina nightclub on the night of the attack

A further 69 people are thought to have been wounded in the attack, which happened in the early hours of this morning.

Among the victims was a 27-year-old female private security guard from northeast Turkey.

Mother-of-one Hatice Koc'un was working at the Reina nightclub on the night of the attack as Turkish law requires a woman guard to be present to search female clubbers.

Her family identified her body at the morgue yesterday, Turkish media reported.

The day before the attack, Koc'un, whose daughter is three years old, shared pictures of herself on social media wearing sunglasses and kissing the Turkish flag.

A 19-year-old Israeli woman has also been named as among the dead.

Leanne Nasser was on holiday with three female friends, all from the Arab-majority village of Tira in northern Israel.

One of her friends was also injured, while the other two were traumatised but physically unharmed, Israeli officials told MailOnline.

Leanne Nasser was on holiday with three female friends, all from the Arab-majority village of Tira in northern Israel, when she was killed

Four other Israeli-Arab women were also caught up in the attack, an Israeli government source told MailOnline.

They were visiting Turkey to celebrate the New Year despite security concerns.

'Their friends told them not to come because they thought it was too dangerous,' said Shira Ben Zion, Israel's deputy consul in Istanbul.

'They are very shocked and confused and they just want to get back home.'

Israeli officials are providing the women with consular support and helping them return to Israel, she added.

Also gunned down was police officer Burak Yildiz, who had been guarding the front of the upmarket riverside club.

The 21-year-old had reportedly been in the job for 12 months when he was shot dead after the building was stormed.

Victim Fatih Çakmak was also a policeman and on duty at the nightclub during the New Year celebrations.

He has previously escaped an attack while working at a match between Beşiktaş and Bursaspor last month when a car bomb exploded.

Also gunned down was police officer Burak Yildiz, who had been guarding the front of the upmarket riverside club

Club worker Kenan Kutluk (right) has been named as a victim. His Facebook page shows him posing next to footballer Diego Costa

Fatih Çakmak, a policeman who was on duty at the nightclub during the New Year celebrations, was also killed

Çakmak had previously escaped another attack while working at the match between Beşiktaş and Bursaspor last month when a car bomb exploded

Club worker Kenan Kutluk was also killed. His Facebook page shows him posing next to footballer Diego Costa, who had previously visited the club.

Three Lebanese citizens were among those killed, Lebanon's foreign ministry said.

Four other Lebanese were wounded in the attack, it said. The ministry named those killed as Elias Wardini, Haykal Mousallem and Rita Shami.

While police have released several images of a suspect, they do not have yet have a name.

An earlier report on the shooting included a photograph, which was understood to have been issued by Turkish police, of a man who the police were said to be looking for. In fact the man in the photograph had nothing to do with the shooting, is not a suspect and is not being sought by police.

Police have released several images of a suspect, they do not have yet have a name. CCTV, believed to be from inside the club, shows the gunman wearing hat

Moments before the attack clubbers were pictured enjoying the celebrations in the exclusive venue

Turkish police launched a major manhunt for the attacker, who Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim revealed left his weapon inside the venue and escaped by 'taking advantage of the chaos' that ensued.

He also said there was no truth to reports that the attacker wore a Santa hat, despite the CCTV footage from inside the club appearing to show the gunman in a festive-style costume.

A young boy breaks down and rests his head on top of the coffin of one of the victims

A man kisses the coffin of Ayhan Arik, one of the 39 people killed in the attack on New Year's Eve

People in the city began burying the dead just 13 hours after the attack in line with Muslim tradition

Turkey's president, Tayyip Erdogan, vowed to continue to fight against terror attacks and the fear they cause.

In a statement he said: 'As a nation, we will fight to the end against not just the armed attacks of terror groups and the forces behind them, but also against their economic, political and social attacks.

'They are trying to create chaos, demoralize our people, and destabilize our country with abominable attacks which target civilians.

'We will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games.'

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (pictured) revealed the gunman left his weapon inside the venue and escaped by 'taking advantage of the chaos' that ensued

This morning armed police with shields formed a ring of steel around the nightclub in Istanbul

Police secured the area as the convoy of Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu left after his visit to the nightclub

Special forces stood guard outside the nightclub this morning. A further 69 people are thought to have been wounded in the attack

This morning a Turkish police boar was anchored on the Bosphorus close to the nightclub as a manhunt for the killer continues

Turkish policemen stood guard next to the scene. Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker has not been identified and is still at large

Nightclub owner Mehmet Kocarslan told Turkey's Hurriyet news site that security at the venue had been increased over the past 10 days following warnings from American intelligence officers

The governor of Istanbul Vasip Sahin confirmed the shooting was a terrorist attack.

He said: 'Unfortunately (the gunman) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun.'

Interior minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker was still at large.

'Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time'

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, right, speaks with a man in hospital who was wounded during the attack on a nightclub

THE REINA WAS ISTANBUL'S TOP CLUB POPULAR WITH CELEBRITIES AND TURKEY'S ELITE Bono and wife Alison Hewson pictured with Reina club manager Mehmet Kocarslan The upmarket Reina club is one of the most prestigious nightspots in Istanbul welcoming Hollywood stars and professional footballers on an almost nightly basis. It sits on the shores of Bosphorus on the European side of the city and is expensive and very hard to get into, reports Gulf News. It is popular with tourists because of its idyllic location and reputation for holding some of the best parties in Istanbul. Past celebrity guests have included singers Kylie Minogue, Sting and Bono and Hollywood stars Kevin Costner, Uma Thurman and Salma Hayek. Its famous clientele mean the club often features in the gossip pages of Turkish newspapers. Owner Mehmet Kocarslan told the Hurriyet Daily that the United States had passed on intelligence about the risk of an attack and security had been stepped up at the venue in the days before the gunman struck. Advertisement

Nightclub owner Mehmet Kocarslan told Turkey's Hurriyet news site that security at the venue had been increased over the past 10 days following warnings from American intelligence officers.

He confirmed that the attack had been carried out with Kalashnikov rifles, also known as an AK-47.

Mehmet Dag, 22, was passing the club as the killer entered. He said the gunman 'looked' at him and 'smiled'.

He claimed he saw the gunman shoot at a police officer and a bystander and then target security, gunning them down before walking into the club.

He added: 'Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds, and after two minutes the sound of an explosion.'

Relatives of the victims gather outside of the forensic medical institute in Istanbul for news about their loved ones

Many of the victims' relatives broke down in tears as they waited for news on the fate of their family members

A woman falls to the ground in tears after hearing bad news about one of her loved ones following the nightclub attack

A man and a woman are led away from the institute weeping. The building is where the dead bodies have been taken

Relatives embrace and cry as they wait for news of their family members following the New Year attack

An ambulance brings another body into the Forensic Medical Center in Istanbul following the attack

Witness Sinem Uyanik told the Associated Press she saw several bodies in the club and her husband, Lutfu Uyanik, was wounded during the killing spree.

'Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me,' she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Hospital.

'I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out.'

She added that her husband had survived the attack.

CCTV footage from outside the club showed the gunman walking down the street to the entrance before opening fire at a policeman

A bullet ricochets off a vehicle after the gunman opens fire at the nightclub in Istanbul, where 39 people were killed

Footage filmed by Dag a showed a police officer lying on the ground outside the club and a woman in a pool of blood.

A handful of WNBA players, including Essence Carson, Chelsea Gray and Jantel Lavender of the Los Angeles Sparks, were next door when the deadly shooting started.

Sparks coach Brian Agler confirmed that Carson had texted him that the three players were OK.

She had tweeted earlier in the evening that she was 'stuck inside of the club because of `terror' shooting in Istanbul. Praises to the most high.'

Medics carry a wounded person at the scene after an attack at the popular nightclub in Istanbul

The taxi used by the killer to travel to the Reina nighclub is loaded on to the back of a pick-up truck

Police were seen towing away a taxi from outside the club, which the gunman is believed to have entered

Elsewhere in the city, a gunman opened fire on a mosque just hours after the nightclub attack. People had gathered at the mosque for prayers when the gunman opened fire with a rifle.

Police have launched an investigation but authorities say there is no reason to believe there was a 'political cause'.

It has been suggested that the incident might be linked to a row between a father and son.

Just 13 hours after the nightclub shooting relatives started burying their dead, as Muslim tradition dictates people should be buried as soon as possible after death.

The British Foreign Office said it is liaising with authorities to establish whether any Britons were caught up in the massacre.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted: 'Thoughts with Turkey after cowardly act of terrorism in Istanbul nightclub attack. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Turkish friends.'

The White House condemned the shooting as a 'horrific terrorist attack', and pledged their support to Turkey.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has sent her condolences to the victims of the Istanbul attack, saying 'terrorists ... have carried out an inhumane and devious attack on people who wanted to celebrate the New Year together.'

A Turkish police officer stands on guard at the site of the armed attack which claimed 39 lives

Ambulances outside the scene of the shooting, in which many people are believed to have been injured

The city's governor has said the massacre was a terrorist attack as almost 40 people were gunned down

Turkish special force police officers and ambulances at the site of the armed attack at 1.15am on New Year's Day in Istanbul

'My thoughts this morning are with the victims, their families and friends,' she said.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has sent Turkey's president a telegram of condolences.

'It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations,' Putin said in the message.

'However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression,' Putin added.

Survivors embrace after the atrocity, which saw a gunman armed with an automatic weapon open fire inside a busy nightclub, killing 39 people

Ambulances were on the scene within minutes of the attack, which claimed 39 lives and left 69 wounded

Armed police on the scene of the atrocity. It is estimated 17,000 police officers were on duty during the New Year's Eve celebrations

An estimated 17,000 police officers had been on duty in the city on New Years Eve. Turkey has been heavily hit by terror attacks in 2016.

The nightclub lies on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait which divides Istanbul in two.

Yesterday Neslihan Dogruol, a restaurant owner in a chic Istanbul neighborhood, said she hopes for peace in 2017 following a year filled with 'unrest and death.'

Yesterday Neslihan Dogruol, a restaurant owner in a chic Istanbul neighborhood, said she hopes for peace in 2017 following a year filled with 'unrest and death

Security measures have been heightened in major Turkish cities and traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara, were closed

'2016 affected everyone badly,' she said, referring to major attacks that hit Turkey in the past year.

The restaurant, adorned with snowflakes and tiny decorative lights for the evening, will have fewer people for dinner, she said.

At a commemoration for the 45 people killed in twin bombings on December 10 in Istanbul, Murat Manoglu hoped for a better year ahead.

'We lived through terrible days,' he said.

Security measures were heightened in major Turkish cities. Traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara, had been closed.

A survivor is taken away on a stretcher by ambulance staff after the attack at the nightclub

There is a huge police presence outside the Reina nightclub in Istanbul after gunmen opened fire

It is believed that 17,000 police officers had been on duty in the Turkish city before the attack

The attack happened in one of Istanbul's busiest nightspots as people celebrated New Year's Eve

TERROR IN TURKEY: ATTACKS IN 2016 On December 19, the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot dead by an assassin as he gave a speech at an art gallery in Ankara. On 10 December 2016, a car bomb exploded near the Besiktas football stadium in the Macka/Dolmabahce area of Istanbul. 44 people, mostly police officers, were killed, and over 150 injured. On 24 November 2016, a bomb exploded near the Governor's office in Adana. 2 people were killed and 21 injured. On 14 October 2016, a rocket attack took place on the outskirts of Antalya towards Kemer; no casualties were reported. Separately on 14 October 2016, attacks also took place against the Turkish military in Hakkari, Diyarbakir, Van and Adiyaman resulting in 13 injuries to service personnel On 6 October 2016, an explosion occurred near a police headquarters in the Yenibosna area on the European side of Istanbul On 24 August 2016, a roadside bomb injured 2 Gendarmerie officers on the Antalya – Kemer road near Topcam. On 20 August 2016, an attack on a wedding party in Gaziantep killed more than 50 people and injured around 100. On 28 June 2016, Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul was attacked. More than 40 people were killed. On 7 June 2016, a bomb attack in the Vezneciler area of Istanbul killed 7 police officers and 4 civilians. 36 people were injured. On 1 May 2016, a bomb attack at the Central Police Station in Gaziantep killed two police officers and injured 23 others. On 27 April 2016, there was a suspected suicide bomb attack at Bursa Ulu Mosque. The bomber was killed and 7 people slightly injured. On 19 March 2016, there was a suicide bomb attack against tourists on Istiklal St in Istanbul, in which 4 tourists died and at least 36 people were injured. On 13 March 2016, a bombing in Kizilay Square, central Ankara killed more than 30 people. On 17 February 2016, a large bomb attack near a military barracks on Eskisehir Road in Ankara killed 28 people. On 12 January 2016, a suicide bomb attack in Sultanahmet in Istanbul killed 10 tourists. (Source: gov.uk) Advertisement

European cities on high alert as revellers welcome in 2017

The attack in Istanbul came as police in cities across Europe were on high alert over fears of a New Year terror attack.

In London, where 2017 was welcomed in with a huge fireworks display around the London Eye, more police than ever before had lined the streets.

Some 3,000 officers patrolled the British capital with guns and sniffer dogs and for the first time ever, armed police were on the London Underground network.

On guard: Two officers stand at the ready in central London where more than 110,000 people gathered for New Year celebrations

Police officers gathered for a meeting as they prepared to patrol the streets while hundreds gathered to watch the fireworks

A steel wall was also erected on London's Westminster Bridge to prevent a lorry attack

In Berlin, which is still mourning the truck terror attack that killed 12 people earlier this month, revellers around the Brandenburg Gate were guarded by hundreds of armed police.

In addition concrete blocks and heavy armoured vehicles were put in place along thoroughfares.

On guard: Citizens of Berlin, still mourning the truck terror attack that killed 12 earlier this month, were guarded by hundreds of armed police who placed concrete blocks and heavy armoured vehicles along thoroughfares near the Brandenburg Gate

Cologne: Police officers in the German city stand guard in front of Hauptbahnhof main railway station

Paris: France's President Francois Hollande reviews police officers as he visits the security measures at the Champs Elysees before ushering in 2017

In Cologne, where 600 women were sexually assaulted amid last year's festivities, around 1,800 officers were deployed compared to just 140 in 2015.

In Paris yesterday, French President Francois Hollande met with beefed up security forces who were guarding celebrations around the Eiffel Tower.

In Brussels, which also experienced a terror attack last year, and in Madrid, party-goers were searched by armed police, who kept a careful eye on the swelling crowds.

Brussels: Revellers queue to get in the De Brouckere square for the fireworks performance as Belgium's police officers conduct searches

Madrid: Security personnel and access control guards stand at the Puerta del Sol square in the Spanish capital



