Khazen.org presents its deepest condolences to the victims of the Istanbul Reina Nightclub Ortakoy Istanbul nightclub
in New Year’s celebrations. The Lebanese victims Elias Wardini, Rita Chami, Haykal Mousallem. May the virgin Mary protect them and help the
family of the victims & quick recovery for the injured!!!
Elias Wardini in the picture funeral
By Naharnet: Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday declared national
mourning over the Lebanese victims of Istanbul’s nightclub massacre as
the country bid farewell to three youths killed in the bloody attack. “Work will stop across Lebanon and radio and TV networks
should adjust their programs in a manner befitting of this tragedy for
one hour starting from 2:00 pm today, Tuesday, January 3, 2017,” said a
decree issued by Hariri. “Lebanese wherever they may be are also asked to observe
five minutes of silence at 3:00 pm to condemn this heinous crime,
express a comprehensive Lebanese stance against terror and terrorists,
and show solidarity with the families of the martyrs and the wounded,”
Hariri added. There has been widespread shock and mourning in Lebanon over the deaths of the three Lebanese killed.
Rita Shami was a 26-year-old student. Elias Wardini,
also 26, was a personal trainer. Haykal Musallem was a 36-year-old
physical trainer with the Tadamon Zouk basketball team whose wife
managed to survive the attack. A convoy carrying the coffin of Mussallem
had left
Ashrafieh’s Hotel Dieu de France hospital for his hometown al-Bireh in
Chouf in the morning. The coffin Wardini was meanwhile taken from
Ashrafieh’s
Saint George Hospital to a nearby church for the funeral. He was laid to
rest at Ashrafieh’s Mar Mitr cemetery. Wardini’s body was carried
through the streets of Ashrafieh to the sounds of traditional darbuka
drums and trumpets.
At the district’s Notre Dame church, his open casket was
lifted over the heads of friends and family, beneath giant portraits
reading “The Angel of Ashrafieh” and “The Groom of Ashrafieh”. As is tradition in Lebanon for the death of young
unmarried people, the funeral ceremony included the trappings of a
wedding, with the church decorated in white flowers. His two older sisters collapsed several times during the
ceremony, one them shouting at the body: “Get up! Why don’t you answer
me?” The night before a minute of silence had been observed
for the three victims during a basketball match between Tadamon, where
Musallem worked, and Beirut club La Sagesse, Wardini’s favorite team.
Portraits of the three victims hung over the stands.
The young woman Rita Shami will be buried on
Thursday. The bodies of the victims and five of the wounded had arrived
Monday evening in Beirut aboard a Middle East Airlines plane. Bushra
Doueihi, the wounded daughter of Zgharta MP
Estephan Doueihi, stayed in an Istanbul hospital due to her serious
injuries and is expected to be transferred to Lebanon in the coming
days.
in the picture: Haykal Mousallem, Rita Chami & Elias Wardini
In the picture: Elias Wardini
In the picture: Haykal Mousallem
In the picture taking the selfie: Rita Chami
by Hasan Darwish| The Daily Star – BEIRUT: Three Lebanese were killed and several others wounded in Sunday’s midnight attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey. The family of 25-year-old Elias Wardini confirmed that the Lebanese national was dead, local Al Jadeed TV reported. “He threw
himself in the Bosphorous waters, but he could have frozen to death
after five minutes,” Wardini’s sister, Mirna, exclaimed while speaking
to MTV earlier Sunday. “[Actor] Nadine Rasi called us and said
that Elias is now with Jesus,” Wardini’s cousin had said as he pleaded
with Lebanese officials to uncover his whereaoubts. After they received the news, the family did not give any further details as they were in shock. Wardini’s sister could not speak to reporters at the family residence in Ashrafieh after she suffered from a nervous breakdown.
Wardini’s fiance Melissa Papalardu had also been hurt in the shooting, LBCI said. LBCI
reporter Bassam Abu Zeid said that Melissa had been hit by a bullet on
her hand, and that she had undergone a minor surgery.Melissa is currently in stable condition, the reporter said.
Later Sunday evening, Rita Chami succumbed to the wounds she had sustained in the attack, Reuters quoted her family as saying. Rita Chami had previously been reported missing by her family after they lost contact with her. She is the daughter of the famous Lebanese businessman Elias Shami, according to a report by local MTV.
Haykal Mousallem, another Lebanese man, was confirmed dead a short while later, his family told Reuters. The
Foreign Ministry issued a statement Sunday afternoon confirming that
four Lebanese victims had been wounded, according to a preliminary
tally.
Local LBCI TV said that the total number of Lebanese nationals hurt in the attack had risen to 13. LBCI added that the victims included Nidal Bsherrawi, Francois Asmar, Bouchra Doueihi, Nasser Beshara, and Melissa Papalordu.
However, LBCI did not provide the names of the remaining victims. Most
of the bullets hit the victims in their hands and legs as they ducked
under the seats for protection, the local channel said. Nidal
Bsherrawi and Francois Asmar, were mildly wounded when a gunman went on a
rampage at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul while it was packed with New
Year’s revelers, a Foreign Ministry statement announced. Only Nidal and Francois were identified by their full names in the ministry statement.
Bsherrawi’s
brother, Hassan, while speaking over the phone to LBCI, said that
another Lebanese national whom he identified as Nasser Beshara had been
wounded. The daughter of a Lebanese MP Estephan Dweihi, along with
a man from the Haikal family, whose first names were not disclosed,
were also slightly wounded in the attack, the ministry said.
MP
Doueihi’s daughter, Bouchra Doueihi, whom local Al Jadeed TV said was in stable
condition, is allegedly undergoing a critical surgery, Hassan Bsherrawi
added while speaking to LBCI. Bsherrawi and Asmar are expected to
undergo minor surgical operations, Lebanese consul in Istanbul Hani
Shmaiteli was quoted as saying by the NNA. Dr. Tony Elias, a tourist who had been celebrating in a nearby club, said to LBCI that he had perfomed Bouchra Doueihi’s surgery. He confirmed that she was in a stable, though critical, condition. Elias
described the shooting as frightening and a scene that seemed to be
part of a war zone as bullets and grenades poured all over the place. He added that 80 Lebanese nationals had been in the club at the time of the attack.
Nasser Bechara
In the picture Nidal
Bsherrawi
In the picture Francois Asmar
MTV
reported that approximately 100 people out of the 700 people
celebrating the new year in the club had been Lebanese nationals. 39 people were first announced dead following Sunday’s attack, which Turkish officials have described as a terrorist act. The tally increased with the death of the Lebanese victims and another reported death of a Kuwaiti national. The
Lebanese consul in Istanbul visited hospitals in Turkey, in order to
follow up on the numbers and conditions of the Lebanese victims. Lebanese
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil had called the Lebanese Consul Sunday
morning, inquiring about the conditions of the Lebanese nationals
wounded in the attack.
President Michel Aoun followed up on the conditions and treatment of the victims with Lebanese officials. MTV
said that Lebanese officials had been informed that none of the
Lebanese victims would be repatriated unless the investigations were
concluded. During a phone call with LBCI, a Lebanese travel agent
offered to fly any of the victims’ family members to Turkey for free
Monday. Later, Sunday afternoon, Lebanese Minister of Public
Works and Transport Youssef Fenianos ordered that Middle East Airlines
grant the families of the victims tickets onboard the flight departing
for Istanbul Sunday evening, the NNA reported. The tickets to Istanbul Airport will be given to the families free of charge, it added.
By Al Arabiya: A source in Istanbul has confirmed that at least seven Saudi citizens
were killed and nine others injured in the attack on Reina nightclub in
Sunday’s attack on Reina nightclub in Istanbul during New Year’s Eve festivities. One Kuwaiti was killed while five were injured, Al Arabiya’s correspondent reported. Tunisian
foreign ministry also announced that two of their citizens were among
the killed while Lebanese authorities said as that five Lebanese have
been injured during the same attack. Among those injured are
Nidal Beshrawi, Nasser Bechara, Francois al-Asmar, in addition to the
daughter of Member of Parliament Estephan El-Douaihy. Lebanon, Morocco and Jordan’s foreign ministry confirmed that three of their citizens each were killed in the attack. Arab foreign ministries said that following the attack, they are
following up on the situation of the injured with their representatives
in Turkey. A gunman stormed the Reina club,
one of Istanbul’s most exclusive nightspots, and went on a shooting
rampage inside, according to Turkish officials who said the dead
included at least 15 foreigners.
At least 39 killed in attack on Istanbul nightclub
by Zeynep Bilginsoy, Associated Press
ISTANBUL (AP) — An assailant opened fire at a crowded nightclub
in Istanbul during New Year’s celebrations, killing at least 39
people and wounding close to 70 others in what the province’s
governor described as a terror attack.
Gov. Vasip Sahin said the attacker, armed with a long-barreled
weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club at
around 1:15 a.m. Sunday before entering and firing on people
partying inside.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman was
still on the run, adding: “efforts to find the terrorist are
continuing.”
“Our security forces have started the necessary
operations,” the minister said. “God willing he
will be caught in a short period of time.”
“Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless
way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year’s and
have fun,” Sahin told reporters.
Police with riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored
vehicles blocked the area close to the Reina nightclub, one of
the most popular night spots in Istanbul. Several ambulances
flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to
hospitals.
An estimated 600 people were celebrating inside the club
that is also frequented by famous locals, including singers,
actors and sports stars. A handful of WNBA players,
including Essence Carson, Chelsea Gray and Jantel Lavender of the
Los Angeles Sparks, were next door to the club when the shooting
erupted.
‘A truly inhuman savagery’
At least 15 of the dead were foreign nationals, Soylu said. Five
of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals, and
three or four of the Turkish victims may have been
employees at the nightclub.
A 22-year-old police officer, Burak
Yildiz, Yildiz, was shot and killed outside
the nightclub. He had been on the force for
1½ years.
Private Dogan news agency reports that 47-year-old
travel agent Ayhan Arik, a father of two, was another of the
first victims of the early morning attack.
The
news agency says the gunman shot Arik in the head outside the
club.
At least 69 people were being treated in hospitals, four in
serious condition. Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry says
three Lebanese citizens were wounded in the
shooting, including the daughter of a member of
parliament.
“This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery,” Soylu said.
Ambulances
line up on a road leading to a nightclub where a gun attack took
place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1,
2017.
Ihlas News Agency/Ismail Coskun
via Reuters
Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the Reina
nightclub, in Istanbul’s Ortakoy district, dressed in a Santa
Claus outfit. But Turkey’s prime minister has denied
those reports.
“There is no truth to this. He is an armed terrorist as we
know it,” Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told
reporters.
The attacker was believed to have left the club wearing
“different clothing” to those he entered the club in, however.
He is believed to have carried out the assault alone.
“Four of the injured are in very serious condition,” said Health
Minister Recep Akdag. “There are several foreign nationals among
the wounded.”
Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape
the attack, the report said.
Reina owner Mehmet Kocarslan, interviewed by the private Dogan
news agency, said police had boosted security measures in the
upscale neighborhood of Ortakoy and its vicinity.
The measures included tents at key locations with a 24-hour
police presence and complementary efforts by the coast guard at
sea.
“Despite all these precautions by police forces, unfortunately
this painful event took place. We don’t know what to say,” he
added. “We are at the point where all words end.”
‘I had to lift several bodies from top of me’
Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband who was wounded
in the attack.
“Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on
top me,” she said outside Istanbul’s Sisli Etfal Hospital.
“I had to lift several bodies from top of me before I could
get out. It was frightening.” Her husband was not in serious
condition despite sustaining three wounds.
The White House condemned what it called a “horrific terrorist
attack” and offered U.S. help to Turkey.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Barack Obama
was briefed on the attack by his national security team and asked
to be updated as the situation developed. Obama is vacationing in
Hawaii this week with his family.
National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the attack on
“innocent revelers” celebrating New Year’s shows the attackers’
savagery.
“Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue
to work to prevent these tragedies,” European Union foreign
policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter: “Tragic
start to 2017 in Istanbul. My thoughts are with those affected by
the attack on people celebrating New Year and with the Turkish
people.”
Turkey has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks in 2016
carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish militants,
killing more than 180 people.
On Dec. 10, a double bomb attack outside soccer stadium — located
near the Reina nightclub — killed 44 people and wounded 149
others. The attack was claimed by Turkey-based Kurdish militant
group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons. Nine days later, an off-duty
Turkish riot policeman assassinated Russian Ambassador Andrei
Karlov at a photo exhibition in the capital, Ankara. The
government has suggested that a movement led U.S.-based Muslim
cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the killing — an accusation the
cleric has denied.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead
with its fight against violent groups.
“Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root
out terror,” Bozdag said on Twitter.
Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities,
with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul
and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were
put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street
vendors, Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported.
___
Associated Press writers Dusan Stojanovic and Mehmet Guzel in
Istanbul and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this
report.
