The suspect in the deadly New Year's terror attack at an Istanbul nightclub was arrested Monday after a manhunt lasting more than two weeks, Turkish media reported.

Multiple media outlets reported that Abdulgadir Masharipov, the Uzbek national believed to have murdered 39 people at the Reina nightclub, was apprehended in a police raid on a house in Istanbul's Esenyurt district.

The suspect was taken to a local hospital to undergo medical checks before being transferred to police headquarters for questioning.

Dogan news agency published what it said was the first image of the attacker. It showed a bruised, black-haired man in a grey, bloodied shirt being held by his neck. The private NTV television station reported that Masharipov had resisted arrest.

NTV also reported that the house targeted in the raid belonged to a Kyrgyz friend of the suspect. The television channel said police established the gunman's whereabouts four or five days ago, but delayed the raid so they could monitor his movements and contacts.

The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that a Kyrgyz man and three women were detained with Masharipov and were being taken to Istanbul's main police headquarters for questioning.

NTV broadcast footage showing plain-clothed police taking away a man in a white top and sweat pants, forcing his head down. The station said the images showed the gunman's Kyrgyz friend being taken to a police vehicle.

The Hurriyet newspaper reported that Masharipov's young son was also in the house when his father was arrested. The boy was taken into protective custody. The paper said the alleged gunman's wife and 1-year old daughter were caught in a police operation on Jan. 12.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu posted a Twitter message thanking the interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, police and intelligence organizations "who caught the Reina attacker in the name of the people."



The Islamic State (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the Jan. 1 nightclub attack, saying the attack was in reprisal for Turkish military operations in northern Syria.

Anadolu reported that police were carrying out raids on other suspected ISIS cells, but did not provide further details.

On Sunday, Hurriyet reported that investigators had raided a house in another district of Istanbul, where they found a large amount of cash that Masharipov was supposed to collect after the attack.

Earlier in the day, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the Reina nightclub attack had been carried out professionally with the help of an intelligence organization, a claim he had made in the first days after the attack. He did not name the organization suspected of being involved.

Hundreds of people were gathered at the swanky Reina nightclub to celebrate the end of a tumultuous 2016 only to become the first victims of 2017. The gunman shot a police officer and a civilian outside the club, then stormed the premises.

Most of the dead in the attack on the upscale club were foreign nationals, from the Middle East. The gunman reportedly left the scene in a taxi.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.